Hi2TT7T-Drrnii-3-^ 


— cnijr_ 


^ri'. 


J 


tDUC- 

Psrci 


CONTENTS. 


I. 

II. 

III. 

IV. 
V. 

VI. 

VII. 

viir. 

IX. 


X. 

XI. 

XII. 
XIII. 
XIV. 


Up  to  the  Alm  Uncle  .,..«....  5 

At  the  Grandfather's 38 

In  the  Pasture 56 

With  the  Grandmother 89 

A    Visit,    and    Another,    and    the    Conse- 
quences       125 

A     New    Chapter,    and    altogether    New 

Things 153 

Miss  Rottenmeier  has  a  Day  of  Troubles  .  175 
In  the  Sesemann  House  Things  do  not  go 

smoothly.    .         212 

The  Master    of    the    House    arrives,   and 
hears  All  Sorts  of  Things    not    heard 

BY  him  before 240 

A  Grandmamma 256 

Heidi  loses  on  One  Side,  and  gains  on  the 

Other 280 

The  Sesemann  House  is  haunted     ....  293 

A  Summer  Evening  on  the  Alm 322 

On  Sunday,  when  the  Church-bells  ring  .  365 

33803c 


HEIDI. 


CHAPTER  I. 


UP   TO   THE    ALM    UNCLE. 

From  the  pleasant  village  of  Mayenfeld 
a  path  leads  through  green  fields,  richly 
covered  with  trees,  to  the  foot  of  the 
mountain,  which  from  this  side  overhangs 
the  valley  with  grave  and  solemn  aspect. 
Where  the  path  begins  to  grow  steeper, 
begins  also  the  heath  with  its  short  grass ; 
and  the  perfume  of  sweet  mountain  plants 
seems  to  advance  as  if  welcoming  the 
traveller.  From  this  spot  the  footpath 
rises  almost  perpendicularly  to  the  summit. 


HEIDI. 


Along  this  steep  mountain  path  a  stout, 
healthy  girl  was  climbing,  one  clear,  sunny 
morning  in  June,  leading  by  the  hand  a 
child,  whose  cheeks  were  so  glowing  red 
that  she  looked  as  if  an  inward  flame 
were  shining  through  her  sunburned  skin. 
And  little  wonder,  for  the  child  was  as 
much  wrapped  up  on  this  sunny  June 
morning  as  if  to  protect  her  from  bitter 
frost.  The  little  girl  could  be  scarcely 
more  than  five  years  old;  but  her  natural 
size  could  not  even  be  guessed  at,  for  she 
had  on  two,  if  not  three,  dresses,  one  over 
the  other,  and  over  all,  wound  round  and 
round,  was  a  great  red  woollen  shawl ;  so 
that  the  little  shapeless  figure,  with  its 
heavy  hobnailed  mountain  shoes,  toiled 
hot  and  weary  up  the  steep  hillside.  They 
had  gone  on   in   this  way  for  perhaps  an 


UP   TO   THE   ALM    UNCLE.  *J 

hour  from  the  valley,  when  they  reached 
the  hamlet,  lying  halfway  up  the  Aim, 
which  is  called  Dorfli.  Here  the  wander- 
ers were  hailed  and  oreeted  from  almost 
every  doorway,  now  from  a  window,  and 
once  from  ,  the  road ;  for  the  girl  had 
reached  her  native  villagre.  She  did  not, 
however,  pause  at  all,  but  answered  all 
questions  and  greetings  as  she  went  along, 
till  they  reached  the  end  of  the  hamlet, 
where  only  a  few  scattered  cottages  stood. 
Here  some  one  called  from  a  doorway : 
*'  Wait  a  minute,  Dete,  I  will  go  with 
you  if  you  are  going  farther."  As  Dete 
stood  still,  the  child  freed  herself  from  her 
grasp,  and  seated  herself  upon  the  ground. 
"Are  you  tired,  Heidi?"  asked  her  com- 
panion, "  No,  but  hot,"  replied  the  child. 
"  We  are  almost  at  the  top.     You  must 


'8  HEIDI. 

exert  yourself  a  little  more,  and  take  very 
long  steps,  and  in  an  hour  we  shall  be 
there,"  said  Dete  encouragingly. 

A  broad,  good-natured-looking  woman 
came  from  a  doorway,  and  joined  the  pair ; 
and  the  little  one  followed  the  two  old 
acquaintances,  who  were  deep  in  conver- 
sation about  the  inhabitants  of  Dorfli  and 
the  surrounding  cottages. 

"  But  where  are  you  really  taking  the 
child,  Dete?"  asked  the  newcomer.  "It 
is  of  course  your  sister's  child,  the  one 
she  left  when  she  died." 

"It  is,"  said  Dete.    "I   am   taking  her 

up   to    the    uncle's,    she    must    stay   with 

h*     )> 
im. 

"  What,  leave   this   child  with   the   Aim 

uncle !     You  have  lost  your  senses,  Dete. 

How  can  you  think  of  such  a  thing  ?     He 


UP  TO  THE  ALM   UNCLE.  9 

will  soon  send  you  to  the  right  about  with 
your  plans." 

"  No,  that  he  cannot  do ;  he  is  her 
grandfather,  and  must  do  his  share.  I 
have  cared  for  the  child  up  to  this  time  ; 
and  now,  Barbel,  I  have  the  offer  of  a 
situation  which  I  cannot  let  escape  be- 
cause of  this  child.  Let  her  grandfather 
now  take  his  turn." 

"  Yes,  if  he  were  like  other  people, 
Dete,"  rejoined  Barbel  anxiously.  "  But 
there,  you  know  all  about  that.  What 
can  he  do  with  the  child  ?  Such  a  small 
one,  too !  It  will  never  succeed.  But 
where  are  you  going?" 

"To  Frankfort,"  explained  Dete,  "where 
I  am  promised  an  unusually  good  place. 
The  family  were  at  the  baths  last  summer. 
J  had  the  care  of  their  rooms  in  the  hotel, 


lO  HEIDI. 

and  looked  after  their  comfort  so  well  that 
they  wanted  to  take  me  back  with  them 
then.  Now  they  have  come  again,  and 
.repeat  their  offer ;  and  you  may  believe 
that  I  mean  to  accept  this  time." 

"  I  should  not  like  to  be  in  this  child's 
place,"  said  Barbel,  with  a  gesture  of  aver- 
sion.."  No  one  knows  how  he  lives  up 
there.  He  will  have  nothing  to  do  with 
other  people,  year  in  year  out.  He  never 
sets  foot  in  a  church  ;  and  when  he  comes 
dawn  here  once  a  year,  with  his  thick 
stick,  every  one  avoids  him,  and  is  afraid. 
With  his  thick  gray  eyebrows,  arid  his 
frightful  beard,  he  looks  so  like  a  heathen 
and  an  Indian,  that  every  one  is  thankful 
not  to  meet  him  in  a  solitary  place^  alone;" 

"But  for  all  that,"  said  Dete  defiantly, 
"  he  is  the  grandfather,  and  must  take  care 


UP  TO   THE   ALM    UXCLE.  I  I 

of  the  child.  He  will  probably  do  it  no 
harm,  or  will  have  to  answer  for  it  if  he 
does.     It  is  not  my  affair." 

"I  should  really  like  to  know,"  said 
Barbel  inquiringly,  "  what  that  old  man 
has  on  his  conscience,  that  he  casts  such 
glances  about  him,  and  lives  all  alone  up 
there  on  the  Alp,  and  never  lets  himself  be 
seen.  They  say  all  sorts  of  queer  things 
about  him  ;  but  you  must  know  the  truth 
from  your  sister,  do  you  not,  Dete  ? " 

"  Certainly,  but  I  will  not  tell ;  for  if  he 
should  ever  know  that  I  had  said  any- 
thinor,  should  not  I  Q-et  a  scoldine !  " 

But  Barbel  had  long  wanted  to  know 
why  the  Aim  uncle  had  such  a  look  of 
dislike  to  other  people,  and  why  he  lived 
alone  up  on  the  mountain;  and  why  people 
spoke  so  cautiously  about  him,  as  if  they 


12  HEIDI. 

could  not  say  anything  favorable,  and 
would  not  speak  against  him.  Neither 
did  Barbel  know  why  the  old  man  was 
always  called  in  Dorfli  the  Aim  uncle. 
He  could  not  be  the  real  uncle  of  all  the 
inhabitants  ;  but  as  they  always  called  him 
so,  she  did  the  same. 

Barbel  had  only  been  married  a  short 
time,  and  came  to  live  in  the  village  after 
her  wedding.  She  formerly  lived  in  Prat- 
tigau,  and  therefore  did  not  know  all  the 
ins  and  outs  of  the  life  there,  nor  the 
peculiarities  of  the  people  in  Dorfli  and 
the  neighborhood.  Her  good  friend  Dete. 
however,  was  born  in  Dorfli,  and  had  al- 
ways lived  there  with  her  mother  until 
her  death ;  then  she  went  to  Ragatz  Bad, 
and  served  in  the  big  hotel  as  chamber- 
maid, with  very  good  wages. 


UP   TO   THE   ALM    UNCLE.  1 3 

That  very  morning  Dete  had  come  with 
the  child  from  Ragatz  ;  a  friend  had  given 
them  a  ride  in  a  hay-cart  as  far  as  May- 
enfeld.  Barbel,  having  learned  thus  far, 
hastened  to  improve  the  opportunity  to 
find  out  still  more.  So  she  laid  her  hand 
confidentially  on  her  friend's  arm,  saying: 
"  From  you,  Dete,  one  can  know  the  real 
truth  about  the  Aim  uncle,  and  not  be 
dependent  on  what  the  people  here  say. 
Do  tell  me.  What  is  amiss  with  the  old 
man  ?  and  has  he  always  been  feared,  and 
always  seemed  to  hate  his  fellow-beings 
as  he  does  now  ? " 

"  Whether  he  has  always  been  like  this 
I  cannot  be  expected  to  know  exactly,  as 
I  am  just  twenty-six  years  old,  and  he  is 
at  least  seventy ;  so  you  will  not  require 
me  to  tell  you  how  he  was  when  young. 


;I4  HEIDI. 

If  I  could  only  be  sure  that  what  I  tell 
you  will  not  be  directly  known  in  all 
Prattigau,  I  might  give  you  some  infor- 
mation ;  for  my  mother  and  he  both 
came  from  Domleschg." 

"O  Dete ! "  replied  Barbel,  somewhat 
offended,  "  what  do  you  mean  ?  They  are 
not  such  terrible  gossips  in  Prattigau.  after 
all  ;  and  I  can  keep  a  secret,  if  necessary. 
So  tell  me,  do,  and  you  shall  never  have 
to  be  sorry  for  't." 

"  Well,  I  will ;  but  mind  you  keep  your 
word,"  said  Dete  warningly.  She  turned 
to  look  behind,  to  see  if  the  child  were 
near  enough  to  hear  what  they  said,  but 
Heidi  was  nowhere  to  be  seen.  She  must 
have  ceased  following  for  a  long  time,  but 
they  were  too  busy  talking  to  notice  her 
absence.     Dete  stopped,  and  looked  about 


Ur   TO   THE    ALM    UNCLE.  15 

in  every  direction.  The  path  made  one 
or  two  curves,  but  yet  the  eye  could  fol- 
low it  almost  down  to  Dorfli.  There  was 
no  one  visible  for  its  whole  length. 

"  I  see  her  now !  "  exclaimed  Barbel ; 
"down  there,  don't  you  see  her?"  and 
she  pointed  to  a  spot  quite  distant  from 
the  mountain  path.  "  She  is  climbing  up 
the  cliff  with  Peter  the  goatherd  and  his 
flock.  I  wonder  why  he  is  so  late  to-day. 
It  is  lucky  for  us,  for  you  can  go  on  with 
your  story  while  he  looks  after  the  child." 

"It  will  not  be  necessary  for  Peter  to 
exert  himself  much  in  looking  after  her," 
said  Dete.  "  She  uses  her  own  eyes,  and 
sees  all  that  goes  on.  I  have  found  that 
out,  and  it  will  be  of  use  to  her  now,  for 
the  old  man  has  only  his  two  goats  and 
the  Aim  hut.'.' 


l6  HEIDI. 

"  Used  he  to  have  more  ? "  asked  Barbel. 

"  He  ?  Yes,  indeed ;  he  had  much  more, 
formerly,"  repHed  Dete  eagerly.  "  He 
had  once  the  very  best  peasant's  farm  in 
Domleschg.  He  was  the  eldest  son,  and 
had  only  one  brother,  who  was  quiet  and 
steady.  But  the  elder  would  do  nothing 
but  play  the  gentleman,  and  travel  through 
the  country  with  bad  company,  about  whom 
no  one  knew  anything  ;  and  he  lost  his 
whole  property  at  play  and  in  extrava- 
gance, and  when  it  became  known,  his 
father  and  mother  died  one  after  another 
from  mortification,  and  his  brother  was 
reduced  to  beggary,  and  obliged  to  go  no 
one  knows  where,  for  vexation  ;  and  the 
tmcle,  who  no  longer  had  anything  but 
A  bad  name,  also  disappeared.  At  first, 
no  one    knew  where    he    had   gone  ;    but 


UP   TO   THE   ALM    UNCI.E.  1 7 

after  a  while  they  learned  that  he  had 
joined  the  army,  and  gone  to  Naples. 
Then  nothing  more  was  known  for  twelve 
years  or  more.  Then  he  all  at  once  ap- 
peared in  Domleschg,  with  a  half-grown 
boy,  and  sought  to  introduce  him  to  his 
relations  there  ;  but  every  door  was  closed 
against  him.  This  made  him  very  bitter. 
He  said  he  would  never  set  foot  in  Dom- 
leschg again,  and  so  he  came  to  Dorfli. 
He  lived  here  with  his  boy,  and  must 
have  had  property,  for  he  gave  Tobias, 
his  son,  a  trade.  He  was  a  nice  fellow, 
a  carpenter,  and  well  liked  by  every  one 
in  Dorfli.  But  the  old  man  trusted  no 
one.  It  was  said  that  he  had  deserted 
from  Naples.  He  had  a  bad  time  of  it ; 
having  killed  some  one,  not  in  battle,  you 
understand,  but  in  a  brawl.     But  we  rec- 


15  HEIDI. 

ognized  the  relationship,  because  my  great- 
grandmother  and  his  mother  were  sisters ; 
so  we  called  him  uncle,  and  as  we  are 
related  to  everybody  in  Dorfli,  on  our 
father's  side,  gradually  everybody  called 
him  uncle ;  and  since  he  has  moved  up 
here  on  to  the  Aim,  he  is  known  to  every 
one  as  the  Aim  uncle." 

"  But  what  happened  to  Tobias?"  said 
Barbel,  who  had  listened  eagerly. 

"  Only  wait,  I  am  coming  to  that ;  I 
can't  tell  everything  at  once. 

"  Tobias  was  sent  to  learn  his  trade  in 
Mcls  ;  and  when  he  had  learned  it  he 
returned  to  Dorfli,  and  married  my  sister, 
my  sister  Adelheid,  whom  he  had  always 
like?d.  And  when  they  were  married,  they 
got  along  well  enough  together ;  but  that 
did   not    last  long.      Two   years   after  his 


UF   TO   THE   ALM    UNCLE.  1 9 

marriage,  as  he  was  helping  to  build  a 
house,  a  beam  fell  on  him,  and  killed  him, 
and  he  was  brought  all  crushed  to  his 
home  ;  and  Adelheid  fell  ill  from  the 
shock  and  from  sorrow,  and  had  a  fever 
from  which  she  never  recovered.  She, 
who  was  formerly  so  strong  and  hearty, 
fell  often  into  swoons,  so  that  one  could 
not  tell  if  she  were  waking  or  asleep 
Only  two  months  after  Tobias's  death  we- 
buried  Adelheid.  Everybody  was  talking 
far  and  wide  of  the  sad  fate  of  these  two, 
and  they  said  softly,  and  then  aloud,  that 
it  was  the  punishment  that  the  uncle  de- 
served for  his  godless  life  ;  and  the  pastor, 
appealing  to  his  conscience,  told  him  that 
he  must  now  do  penance  :  but  he  became 
more  and  more  gloomy  and  morose,  spoke 
to  no  one,  and  at  last  ever)'  one  avoided 


^^  HEIDI. 

him.      Then  we  heard   that  he  had  gone 
up  on  to  the  Aim,  never  coming  down,  but 
hving  a  solitary  life,  at  war  with  God  and 
man. 
/    *'  We  took  Adelheid's  little  child  to  live 
with  u.s,  my  mother  and  I.      Heidi  was  a 
year  old.     Then,  after  my  mother's  death, 
I  decided  to  go  to  the  baths  to  earn  some- 
thing; and  taking  the  child  with  me,  I  gave 
her  in  charge  of  old   Ur.sel    in    Pfafferser- 
dorf.     I  could  remain  at  the  baths  during 
the  winter,  for  there  was  plenty  of  work  for 
me,  and  I  can  sew  and  mend  very  nicely. 
7^he  same  family  returned  early  this  spring 
from  Frankfort  whom  I   served   last  year, 
and  they  again  wish  to  take  me  back  with 
them.     So  I   am  going  the  day  after  to- 
morrow ;  and  it  is  a  good  place,  I   assure 
you." 


UP   TO   THE   AI.M    UNCLK  21 

"  And  you  will  leave  the  child  up  there 
with  that  old  man  ?  I  cannot  understand 
what  you  are  thinking  of,  Dete,"  said  Bar- 
bel reproachfully. 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  that?"  answered 
Dete.  "  I  have  done  my  share  for  the 
child,  and  what  more  can  I  do  ?  It  is  not 
to  be  expected  that  I  can  carry  a  child  of 
five  years  old  to  Frankfort  with  me.  But 
where  are  you  going,  Barbel  ?  Here  we 
are  already  half-way  up  the  Aim." 

"  I  am  almost  come  to  the  place,"  said 
Barbel.  "  I  have  something  to  say  to  the 
mother  of  Peter  the  goatherd  ;  she  spins 
for  me  in  the  winter.  So  good-bye,  Dete ! 
Good  luck  to  you  !  " 

Dete  held  out  her  hand  to  her  com- 
panion, and  stood  still  while  the  latter 
went  toward  the  small  dark-brown  cottage 


22  HEinr. 

which  stood  a  little  way  from  the  path,  in 
a  hollow  where  it  was  somewhat  protected 
from  the  mountain  winds.  Standing  half- 
way up  the  Aim,  it  was  fortunately  situated 
in  the  sheltered  hollow,  and  yet  looked 
so  crazy  and  weather-worn  that  it  must 
have  been  a  dangerous  dwelling  when  the 
Fohnwind  blew  strongly  over  the  Aim. 
making  everything  shake  and  tremble, 
and  setting-  all  the  rotten  beams  a-creak- 
ing. 

It  could  not  have  stood  long,  in  its 
present  condition,  on  the  summit,  but 
would  speedily  have  been  swept  down 
into  the  valley.  This  was  the  dwelling 
of  goat- Peter,  the  eleven  years  old  boy 
whose  business  it  was  to  drive  the  goats 
from  D()rni.  every  morning,  up  on  to  the 
Aim.   to   let   them    pasture    on    the    short, 


UP   TO   THE   ALM    UNCLE  23 

succulent  bushes  that  grow  there.  In  the 
evening  he  led  his  nimble- footed  herd 
down  into  Dorfli  again,  gave  a  shrill 
whistle  on  his  finofers,  at  the  sound  of 
which  the  owners  came  to  the  little  square 
to  fetch  each  his  own  goat.  Generally 
little  boys  and  girls  came  for  the  animals 

—  such  gentle  creatures  could  do  no   harm 

—  and  thus  Peter  was  for  a  short  time 
every  day  with  companions  of  his  own 
age ;  otherwise  he  lived  during  the  entire 
summer  only  with  his  goats. 

To  be  sure,  he  had  his  mother  and  his 
blind  grandmother ;  but  he  left  the  hut 
»arly  in  the  morning,  and  returned  late 
i'rom  Dorfli,  because  he  liked  to  amuse 
himself  with  the  children  there  as  long  as 
possible,  spending  only  enough  time  at 
home   to   swallow   his  bread   and    milk   as 


24  HEIDI 

fast  as  he  could,  to  get  off  early  with  the 
goats  in  the  morning,  and  to  his  pillow  at 
night. 

His  father,  who  followed  the  same  busi- 
ness, and  was  called  also  goat- Peter,  had 
been  killed  while  felling  wood  the  year 
before.  His  mother,  whose  name  was 
Brigitte,  was  always  spoken  of  as  goat- 
Peterin,  or  goat- Peter's  mother,  from  the 
connection ;  and  for  ever)'body,  far  and 
near,  his  blind  grandmother  had  the  same 
name. 

Dete  stood  waiting  for  certainly  ten 
minutes,  looking  in  every  direction  for  the 
children  and  the  goats,  who  were  nowhere 
to  be  seen  ;  then  she  climbed  still  higher 
to  get  a  view  of  the  valley,  searching  in 
every  direction,  with  signs  of  increasing 
impatience  on  her  face  and  in  her  move- 


UP   TO   THE   ALM    UNCLE.  25 

ments.  In  the  mean  time,  the  children 
had  gone  quite  round  in  another  direc- 
tion ;  for  Peter  knew  of  many  spots  where 
all  sorts  of  bushes  and  herbs  grew  that 
were  good  for  his  goats  to  nibble  at,  and 
to  reach  which  he  twisted  and  turned  about 
from  one  place  to  another  with  his  flock. 
At  first  the  child  climbed  after  him,  but 
with  the  greatest  difficulty.  Enveloped  as 
she  was  in  her  heavy  wraps,  and  suffering 
from  their  weight  and  moreover  from  heat, 
she  was  obliged  to  exert  all  her  litde 
strength. 

She  said  nothing,  however,  but  looked 
now  fixedly  at  Peter,  who,  with  his  bare 
feet  and  light  trousers,  sprang  here  and 
there  without  the  least  trouble  ;  now  ob- 
serving the  goats,  which,  with  their  thin, 
slender  legs,  climbed  still  more  easily  over 


26  HEIDI. 

the  stocks  and  stones,  and  even  up  the 
precipices.  Suddenly  the  child  sat  down, 
pulled  off  shoes  and  stockings  as  quickly 
as  possible,  stood  up  again,  threw  off  the 
thick  red  shawl,  unfastened  her  dress,  cast 
that  away,  and  had  still  another  to  strip 
off;  for  Dete  had  put  on  all  the  child's 
Sunday  clothes  over  her  every-day  gar- 
ments, for  convenience'  sake,  so  that  no 
one  else  need  carry  them.  In  a  twinkling 
the  child  tore  off  her  every-day  dress 
too,  and  stood  in  her  light  petticoat,  and 
stretched  her  bare  arms  with  delight  out 
of  the  short  sleeves  of  her  little  shirt  into 
the  cooling  wind. 

Then  she  folded  all  her  clothes  tocrether 
into  a  neat  little  heap,  and  leaving,  climbed 
up  after  the  goats  to  Peter  ;  going  with  them 
as  lightly  and  easily  as  the  very  best. 


UP   TO   THE   ALM    UNCLE.  2 7 

Peter  had  not  noticed  what  the  child 
Was  about  while  she  staid  behind ;  but 
when  she  sprang  up  beside  him  in  her 
new  dress,  he  grinned  in  the  most  comical 
way;  then,  looking  back,  he  perceived  the 
little  heap  of  clothes,  and  his  grin  became 
wider,  until  his  mouth  seemed  to  extend 
from  ear  to  ear ;  but  he  said  never  a 
word. 

Now  that  the  child  felt  herself  so  free 
and  comfortable,  she  began  to  talk  to  her 
companion,  and  he  had  to  answer  all  sorts 
of  questions.  She  wanted  to  know  how 
many  goats  he  had,  where  he  was  taking 
them,  and  what  he  did  when  he  reached 
his  destination.  At  last,  however,  the 
children  and  the  goats  reached  the  hut, 
when  Aunt  Dete  caught  sight  of  them. 
As     soon     as     the    latter    saw    the    little 


28  HEIDI. 

company  of  climbers,  she  shouted  out, 
"What  are  you  about,  Heidi?  How  you 
look !  What  have  )ou  done  with  )Our 
two  dresses  and  the  shawl,  and  the  new 
shoes  that  I  bought  you  for  the  mountain, 
and  the  new  stockings  I  knit  you  myself? 
Are  they  all  gone,  all  ?  Heidi,  what  have 
you  done  with  them  all  ?  " 

The  child  point(*d  quietly  down  the 
mountain-side,  saying  only,  "There."  Dete 
looked  ;  and  following  the  direction  of  the 
child's  finger,  certainly,  down  there  she 
saw  something  lying,  on  the  top  of  which 
was  a  red  spot.     Could  that  be  the  shawl  ? 

"  You  mischievous  child  !  "  cried  Dete, 
in  great  excitement.  "  What  are  )ou 
thinking  of?  Why  have  you  taken  ever)'- 
thing  otil  ?     What  does  it  mean?" 

"  1  do  not  need  them,"  replied  the  child, 


UP   TO   THE   ALM    UNCLE.  29 

and  did  not  look  sorry  for  what  she  had 
done. 

"Oh,  you  unlucky,  thoughtless  Heidi! 
Have  you  no  idea  about  things  ? "  said 
Dete,  scolding  and  complaining  at  the 
same  time.  "  Who  is  to  go  down  for 
them  ?  It  will  be  at  least  a  half  hour's 
work.  Come,  Peter,  run  down  and  fetch 
them  for  me  ;  don't  stand  there  staring,  as 
if  you  were  nailed  to  the  ground." 

"  I  am  too  late  already,"  said  he  slowly, 
and  stood  without  stirring  from  the  spot, 
with  his  hands  in  his  pockets,  just  as  he 
stood  when  Dete's  cry  of  alarm  first 
reached  his  ears. 

"  You  stand  there,  and  open  your  eyes 
as  wide  as  you  can,  but  do  not  stir,"  cried 
Aunt  Dete  to  him  again.  "  Come  now, 
you   shall    have    something   nice ;    do  you 


30  HEIDI. 

see  this  ? "  showing  him  a  new,  shining 
five-cent  piece. 

In  an  instant  he  ran  down  the  moun- 
tain, taking  the  shortest  way,  and  reach- 
ing the  clothes  by  great  strides,  seized 
them  in  his  arms,  and  was  back  agfain  so 
quickly  that  Dete  was  forced  to  praise 
him,  while  she  gave  him  the  promised  five- 
cent  piece  without  delay.  Peter  stuck  it 
quickly  deep  into  his  pocket,  while  his 
face  beamed  and  shone  with  pleasure  ;  for 
a  like  treasure  rarely  fell  to  his  lot. 

"  You  can  carry  the  bundle  for  us  up 
CO  the  uncle's,  you  are  going  that  way, 
I  believe,"  said  Dete,  while  she  applied 
herself  to  climbing  the  steep  path  that 
made  an  abrupt  ascent  from  behind  the 
goatherd's  hut.  I  le  was  quite  ready,  and 
followed   her,   carrying    the    bundle    under 


t 


UP   TO   THE   ALM    UNCLE  31 

his  left  arm,  while  he  swung  his  rod  with 
his  right, 

Heidi  and  the  goats  sprang  joyfully 
about  in  every  direction. 

In  this  manner  the  little  procession 
reached  at  last  the  summit  of  the  Aim, 
after  about  three-quarters  of  an  hour's 
climbing.  There  stood  the  old  uncle's 
hut,  exposed,  it  is  true,  to  all  the  winds 
of  heaven,  but  getting  the  advantage 
of  every  ray  of  sunlight,  and  command- 
ing too  a  most  beautiful  view  of  the 
valley. 

Behind  the  hut  stood  three  big,  very  old 
pine-trees,  with  long,  thick,  untrimmed 
branches ;  and  then  the  mountain  back- 
ground rose  up,  up  to  the  old  gray  rocks, 
first  over  beautiful  slopes  covered  with 
succulent     herbs,     then     through     thickly 


32  HEIDI. 

Strewn  bowlders,  and  at  last  came  the 
bald,  steep  pinnacles. 

On  the  side  of  his  hut  overlooking  the 
valley,  and  fastened  there  securely,  the 
uncle  had  placed  a  bench.  Here  he  was 
now  seated,  his  pipe  in  his  mouth,  his 
hands  resting  on  his  knees,  looking  quietly 
down  at  the  children,  the  goats,  and  Aunt 
Dete,  as  they  came  clambering  up. 

Heidi  reached  the  summit  first,  and  go- 
ing directly  towards  the  old  man,  stretched 
out  her  hand  to  him,  saying,  "  Good-even- 
ing, grandfather." 

"  Well,  well,  what  does  this  mean  ? " 
answered  the  Aim  uncle  harshly.;  gave  his 
hand,  however,  to  the  child,  looking  at  her 
with  a  long,  piercing  gaze  from  under  his 
bushy  eyebrows. 

Heidi  returned  his  look  with  equal  stead- 


UP  TO  THE  ALM    UNCLE.  33 

iness,  not  once  letting  her  eyes  swerve 
from  his  face.  Such  a  strange-looking 
man  as  her  grandfather,  with  his  long 
beard,  his  gray  eyebrows  growing  to- 
gether in  the  middle  like  a  bush,  seemed 
to  her  worthy  of  study. 

In  the  mean  time  Dete  and  the  goatherd 
stood  beside  Heidi,  Peter  looking  on  to 
see  what  was  to  happen. 

"  I  wish  you  good-day,  uncle,"  said  Dete, 
stepping  up.  "  I  bring  you  Tobias  and 
Adelheid's  child.  You  will  scarcely  recog- 
nize her,  for  you  have  not  seen  her  since 
she  was  a  year  old." 

**  And  what  is  the  child  to  do  with  me  ? " 
asked  the  old  man.  "  You  there  !  "  he 
called  out  to  Peter,  "go  on  with  your 
goats.  You  are  none  too  early.  Take 
mine  along  with  you." 


34  HEIDI. 

Peter  heard,  and  obeyed  ;  for  the  uncle 
had  looked  at  him,  and  that  was  enough. 

"The  child  must  stay  here  with  you," 
asserted  Dete.  "  1  have  done  my  share 
for  it  these  four  years  past,  now  it  is  your 
turn." 

"Indeed!"  said  the  old  man,  casting  a 
withering  glance  at  Dete;  "and  if  the  child 
begins  to  cry  for  you,  and  whimper,  as 
these  senseless  little  creatures  do,  what  is 
ID  be  done  then  ? " 

"That  is  your  affair,"  said  Dete.  "I 
mean,  no  one  told  me  how  I  was  to  man- 
age with  her,  when  she  was  thrown  on  my 
hands  a  three  years  old  child  ;  and  I  had 
alread)-  as  much  as  I  could  do  for  my 
mother  and  myself.  Now  I  must  go  with 
my  em  plovers,  and  you  are  the  next  of 
kin  to  the  child.      If  you  won't  keep  her, 


UP   TO    THE    ALM    UNCLE.  35 

do  with  her  as  you  like.  If  anything 
happens  to  her,  you  know,  there  will  be 
no  further  trouble." 

Dete's  conscience  was  not  easy  about 
this  proceeding ;  and  therefore  she  was 
working  herself  into  a  passion,  and  said 
more  <"han  she  really  meant.  As  she  ut- 
tereu  these  last  words,  the  uncle  stood  up, 
and  looked  at  her  so  strangely  that  she 
involuntarily  drew  back  several  steps.  He 
stretched  forth  his  arm,  and  said  in  a  com- 
manding voice,  "  Go  back  to  the  place 
from  whence  you  came,  and  do  not  show 
yourself  here  again  in  a  hurry." 

"Then   farewell,  and    you    also,   Heidi," 
said  Dete,  not  meaning  to  wait  for  a  repe 
tition  of  these  words  ;   and   she  ran  down 
the    mountain-side,    without    stopping,    till 
she  reached  Dorfli,  for  her  inward  excite- 


36  HEIDI. 

ment  drove  her  onward  as  if  impelled  by 
steam.  In  Dorfli  everybody  called  to  her, 
even  more  clamorously  than  before,  for  all 
were  curious  to  know  what  had  become  of 
the  child.  They  knew  Dete  very  well,  and 
to  whom  the  child  belonged,  and  all  its  for- 
mer histor)'.  So  they  called  from  door  and 
window,  "Where's  the  child?"  "What 
have  you  done  with  the  little  one,  Dete  ? " 

She  shouted  back  impatiently,  without 
stopping:  "Up  therewith  the  Aim  uncle, 
I  say.     Don't  you  understand?" 

But  she  was  very  uncomfortable ;  for 
the  w^omen  all  exclaimed,  "  How-  could 
you  do  such  a  thing?"  "That  poor 
child ! "  "  The  idea  of  leaving  such  a 
helpless  child  up  there  !  "  and  again  and 
again,  "The  poor  little  tot!"  and  soon, 
and  so  on. 


UP   TO   THE   ALM    UNCLE.  37 

Dete  ran  on  as  quickly  as  possible,  and 
was  soon  beyond  the  reach  of  their  voices ; 
for  she  was  not  happy  about  her  conduct, 
as  her  mother  had  given  the  child  into 
her  charge  on  her  death-bed.  But  she 
tried  to  quiet  her  conscience  by  saying  to 
herself  that  she  could  do  more  for  the  child 
when  she  had  earned  something ;  and  she 
was  glad  to  get  away  as  quickly  as  possible 
from  her  old  friends,  who  questioned  her 
too  closely,  and  to  go  into  service  with  a 
good  family. 


38  HEIDI. 


CHAPTER   II. 

AT   THE    grandfather's. 

After  Dete  had  left,  the  old  man  sat 
down  on  his  bench  again,  blowing  great 
clouds  of  smoke  from  his  pipe,  while  he 
looked  fixedly  on  the  groimd,  and  was 
silent. 

Heidi  looked  about  in  the  greatest  de- 
light, discovered  the  goat-shed  and  peeped 
in,  but  finding  nothing,  pursued  her  in- 
vestigations. At  last  she  went  behind  the 
hut  to  look  at  the  old   pines. 

The  wind  was  sighing  and  moaning  in 
the  branches,  and  the  topmost  bough 
swayed   to   and    fro.       Heidi    stood   listen- 


AT   THE   GRANDFATHER'S.  39 

ing- ;  but  the  wind  lulled,  and  she  went  on 
again  until  she  came  to  where  her  grand- 
father sat  as  she  had  left  him.  Planting 
herself  directly  in  front  of  the  old  man, 
she  put  her  little  hands  behind  her,  and 
looked  fixedly  at  him.  After  a  few  mo- 
ments he  raised  his  head,  and  asked,  as 
the  child  continued  to  stand  motionless 
before  him,  *'  What  will  you  do  now  ? " 

*'  I  want  to  see  what  you  have  in  there, 
in  the  hut,"  said   Heidi. 

"Well,  take  up  your  bundle,  and  follow 
me."  Her  grandfather  rose  to  enter  the 
dwelling. 

"  I  don't  want  it  any  more,"  said  the  child. 

He  turned,  at  these  words,  to  examine 
the  little  girl,  whose  black  eyes  were  danc- 
ing with  eagerness  to  know  what  the  hut 
contained. 


40  HEIDI. 

"At  least,  she  is  not  wanting  in  intelli- 
gence," he  said  half  aloud ;  then  louder, 
"Why  shall  you  not  need  them,  my  child?" 

"  I  want  to  go  about  like  the  goats," 
said  Heidi,  "  they  have  such  light  legs." 

"  You  shall  do  that,"  replied  her  grand- 
father;  "but  bring  in  the  bundle,  and  we 
will  put  it  into  the  press."  She  raised  the 
bundle  as  he  bade  her,  and  opening  the 
door,  they  entered  the  large  room  which 
filled  the  entire  hut. 

In  one  corner  was  the  bed.  in  another  a 
big  kettle  hung  over  the  hearth  ;  there  was 
also  a  table  and  a  chair.  In  the  wall  was  a 
big  door  ;  this  the  grandfather  opened,  it 
was  the  press.  There  hung  his  clothes  ;  on 
the  shelves  were  shirts,  stockings,  handker- 
chiefs, cups,  plates,  saucers,  and  glasses ; 
above   was    the    smoked    meat,    cheese,   a 


AT   THE   GRANDFATHER'S.  4I 

round  loaf  of  bread  —  in  short,  all  that  was 
needed  for  daily  use.  While  he  held  the 
door  open,  Heidi  stepped  up  with  her  bun- 
dle, which  she  stufled  in  behind  her  grand- 
father's things,  as  far  out  of  sight  as 
possible.  After  this  she  looked  carefully 
about  the  room,  saying,  "  But  where  shall 
I  sleep,  grandfather  ?  " 

"  Wherever  you  like,"  was  his  answer. 

This  pleased  the  little  girl.  She  ran 
about  the  room,  searched  every  corner,  to 
find  the  place  that  would  best  suit  her. 
Opposite  her  grandfather's  bed  was  a  lad- 
der, that  led  into  the  hay-loft ;  up  this  ran 
Heidi,  and  found  it  strewn  with  fresh, 
sweet-smelling  hay,  while  from  a  round 
hole  in  the  rafters  one  could  look  far,  far 
away  into  the  valley, 

"  Oh,    I    must    sleep    here !    it    really   is 


42  HEIDI. 

beautiful,"  cried  the  child.  "Come  up!" 
she  called  to  the  old  man,  "  come  up,  and 
see  how  beautiful  it  is  here."  "  I  know 
ail  about  it,"   he  answered  from  below. 

"  I  am  making  my  bed  here,"  said  Heidi 
again,  while  she  worked  busily  away;  "but 
)'ou  must  come  up,  and  bring  me  a  sheet. 
There  must  be  a  sheet  on  the  bed  to  lie  on." 

"Well,  well,"  replied  her  grandfather; 
and  he  went  to  the  press,  searched  about, 
and  at  last  pulled  out  from  under  his 
shirts  a  long,  coarse  linen  cloth,  that  was 
certainly  something  like  a  sheet. 

He  then  mounted  the  ladder  with  it;  and 
behold!  there  was  a  dear  little  bed  all  piled 
up  with  hay,  and  where  the  head  was  to  lie 
it  was  raised  (juite  hii^h,  and  so  arranged 
that  the  occupant  could  look  directly 
through   the  open   hole. 


AT   THE   GRANDFATHER'S.  43 

"  That  is  well  done,"  said  the  old  man. 
*'  Now  wc  must  put  on  the  sheet ;  but 
stop  a  bit."  He  took  more  hay,  piling  the 
bed  up  till  it  was  twice  as  thick  as  Heidi 
had  made  it,  that  she  might  not  feel  the 
floor  through  the  hay.  "  Now  bring  me 
the  sheet."  Heidi  seized  the  sheet,  but 
could  hardly  lift  it,  the  linen  was  so  heavy 
—  and  that  was  good,  for  the  hay  could  not 
penetrate  such  thick  stuff — and  now  they 
both  spread  this  sheet  over  the  hay  ;  and, 
as  it  was  much  too  lone  for  such  a  little 
bed,  Heidi  busily  tucked  it  well  under. 
Now  it  w^as  a  charming  resting-place  to 
look  at,  and  the  child  stood  in  admiration 
of  it  for  a  long  time,  thoughtfully.  "  We 
have  forgotten  one  thing,  grandfather," 
said  she  at  last. 

"What  is  that?" 


44  HEIDI. 

"  A  coverlid,  to  be  sure  ;  for  when  one 
goes  to  bed,  one  must  creep  in  between 
the  sheet  and  the  coverHd." 

"  Do  you  think  so?"  said  he.  "  I  fear  I 
have  none." 

"  Oh,  then,  no  matter!  "  said  Heidi.  "  I 
can  get  more  hay  instead,"  and  ran  to  fetch 
some  ;  but  her  grandfather  stopped  her. 

"  Wait  a  moment,"  he  said  ;  descended 
the  ladder,  and  went  over  to  his  bed ; 
then,  climbing  up  again,  placed  a  heavy 
linen  sack  on  the  floor,  saying,  "  Is  not 
this  better  than  hay  ?  " 

Heidi  strove  with  might  and  main  to 
spread  out  the  sack,  but  her  little  hands 
could  not  manage  the  heavy  stuff.  With 
her  grandfather's  help,  however,  it  was  soon 
arranged  ;  and  then  the  bed  looked  so  nice 
and   firm,    that   Heidi   stood    entranced   in 


AT   THE   GRANDFATHER'S.  45 

admiration,  and  exclaimed,  "This  is  a 
beautiful  coverlid,  and  a  perfect  bed  !  I 
wish  it  were  night,  grandfather,  that  I 
might  lie  down." 

"  I  think,  however,  that  we  could  eat 
something  first.  What  is  your  opinion 
about  that  ? "    asked  the  old  man. 

Heidi  had  been  so  much  interested 
about  her  bed  that  she  had  forgotten 
everything  else.  Now  she  remembered, 
and  felt  suddenly  very  hungry  ;  for  she  had 
eaten  nothing  since  breakfast,  when  she 
had  a  piece  of  bread  and  a  little  weak 
coffee,  had  also  made  a  long  journey. 
Heidi  replied  heartily  to  her  grandfather's 
question,  "  Yes,   I  think  so,  indeed." 

"Well,  go  down  then,  since  we  agree," 
said  the  old  man,  and  followed  his  grand- 
child down  the  ladder.     Then  going  over 


L. 


46  HEIDI. 

to  the  fireplace,  he  removed  the  big  kettle, 
and  hung  a  smaller  one  in  Its  place  on 
the  chain,  seated  himself  on  the  three- 
legged  stool,  with  a  round  seat  before  him, 
and  blew  the  fire  till  there  was  a  blaze, 
and  the  ketde  began  to  boil.  Next,  he 
held  a  lonof  iron  fork  over  the  fire,  with  a 
big  piece  of  cheese,  which  he  turned  slowly- 
round  and  round  till  it  was  of  a  "olden 
yellow, 

Heidi  watched  him  with  keen  interest ; 
but  suddenly  an  idea  came  into  her  head, 
and  she  sprang  away  to  the  press,  then 
back  to  the  table,  antl  again  many  times. 
When  her  grandfather  came  with  the  pot, 
and  the  roasted  cheese  on  the  fork,  there 
lay  alrcad)-  th(^  round  lc>af,  two  plates, 
two  knives,  all  ncatl)  arranged  ,  for  Heidi 
had   noticed  ever)lhing    in   the   press,  and 


AT    THF,    f. RANI) FATHER'S.  47 

she  knew  what  was  needed  for  the 
table. 

"  Now  this  is  nice,  that  you  can  think 
of  things  yourself,"  said  the  old  man,  and 
put  the  cheese  upon  the  Ijread ;  "  but 
there  is  something  more  needed  still." 

Heidi  saw  how  invitingly  the  pot  was 
steaming,  and  dashed  to  the  press  again. 
Only  one  mug  could  she  find,  but  did  not 
remain  long  in  perplexit)'.  Two  glasses 
stood  at  the  back  of  the  press  ;  in  an  in- 
stant the  child  was  back  again,  with  the 
glass  and  the  mug.  "That  is  right;  you 
are  very  helpful.  But  where  will  you  sit?" 
said  he  ;  for  he  sat  on  the  only  high  stool 
himself.  Like  an  arrow  the  child  was  at 
the  fireplace,  brought  the  little  three- 
legged  stool  back  again,  and  sat  down. 

"Well,   you   have   a   seat,  at   any  rate," 


48  HEIDI. 

said  the  grandfather,  "  but  rather  low  down. 
You  would  be  rather  too  short,  even  on 
mine,  to  reach  the  table ;  but  you  must 
have  something  to  eat  at  once,  so  begin." 

He  stood  up,  filled  the  mug  with  milk, 
set  it  upon  the  high  stool,  drew  the  latter 
up  to  Heidi  so  that  she  had  a  table  to 
herself,  and  sitting  on  the  corner  of  the 
table  began  his  dinner,  bidding  her  also 
to  eat. 

Heidi  seized  her  little  mug,  and  drank 
and  drank  without  once  stopping ;  for  all 
the  thirst  of  her  journey  seemed  to  rise 
up  at  once.  Then  she  drew  a  long  breath 
—  for  in  her  eagerness  to  drink,  she  had 
not  been  able  to  stop  to  breathe  —  and 
set  down  her  mug. 

"  Does  the  milk  taste  o-ood  ?"  asked  her 
grandfather. 


AT   THE   GRAXDKATIIKR'S.  49 

"  I  never  drank  such  good  milk,"  said 
the  chikl. 

"  Then  you  must  have  more,"  said  he, 
and  filled  the  mug  again  quite  to  the  top, 
and  placed  it  before  the  child,  who  was 
eating  her  bread,  spread  thickly  with  the 
hot  cheese,  which  was  like  butter  from  the 
heat,  and  tasted  deliciously.  She  now  and 
then  drank  her  milk,  and  looked  mean- 
while perfectly  happy. 

When  they  had  finished  eating,  the  old 
man  went  out  to  the  goats'  house,  and  put 
things  to  rights  there,  while  Heidi  ob- 
served him  carefully,  how  he  first  swept 
everything  up  with  the  broom,  then  strewed 
fresh  straw  about  for  the  animals  to  sleep 
upon.  He  then  went  to  the  woodpile 
near  by,  cut  round  sticks  of  the  right  size, 
cut    a    board    to    the    right    shape,    bored 


50  iiKini. 

holes  in  it,  sluck  tlic  sticks  in,  and  had 
soon  a  stool  like  his  own,  only  higher. 
Heidi  watched  hini  at  this  work,  speechless 
with  wond(M-. 

"  What  do  you  call  this,  Heidi  ? "  asked 
he. 

"That  is  my  stool,  because  it  is  so  high. 
How  cjuickly  you  have  made  it !  "  said  the 
little  one,  in  the  greatest  wonder  and  ad- 
miration. 

"  She  knows  what  she  sees.  She  has 
her  e)es  in  the  right  place,"  remarked  the 
old  man  to  himself,  as  he  moved  round 
the  hut,  and  drove  a  nail  here,  or  made 
something  fast  there,  going  with  his  ham- 
mer and  nails  and  pieces  of  wood  from 
one  place  to  another,  finding  constantly 
something  to  do,  or  to  mend.  Heidi  fol- 
lowed   him    step   b)-  step,  watched    every- 


AT  THE   GRANDFATHER'S.  5  I 

thing  that  he  did  with  unflagging  atten- 
tion, for  all  that  happened  interested  her 
very  much. 

At  last  it  was  evening.  The  wind  be- 
gan to  sigh  through  the  old  trees ;  as  it 
blew  harder,  all  the  branches  swayed  back 
and  forth.  Heidi  felt  the  sounds  not  only 
in  ears,  but  in  her  heart;  and  she  was  so 
happy,  so  happy,  she  ran  out  under  the 
pines,  and  sprang  and  leaped  for  joy, 
as  if  she  had  found  the  greatest  pleasure 
imaorinable. 

Her  grandfather  meanwhile  stood  in  the 
doorway,  and  watched  the  child. 

Suddenly  a  shrill  whistle  was  heard. 
Heidi  stopped  her  jumping,  and  the  old 
man  went  out.  Down  from  the  mountain 
streamed  the  Qroats,  one  after  ;he  other, 
and   Peter  was  in   their  midst. 


52  HEIDI. 

With  a  joyous  shout  Heidi  vanished  into 
the  midst  of  the  flock,  to  greet  her  old 
friends  of  the  morning,  one  and  all. 

When  they  reached  the  hut,  they  all 
stopped  ;  and  from  out  the  herd  came  two 
beautiful  slender  goats,  one  white  and  one 
brown.  They  went  to  the  old  man,  and 
licked  his  hands ;  for  he  held  a  little  salt  for 
them  every  evening  when  they  came  home. 
Peter  vanished  with  the  rest.  Heidi  stroked 
the  goats  gently,  one  after  the  other,  then 
ran  to  the  other  side,  and  did  the  same. 
She  was  as  joyful  as  possible  over  the 
charming  creatures. 

"Are  they  both  ours,  grandfather?  Will 
they  go  into  our  stall  ?  Will  they  always 
stay  here  with  us  ? "  Heidi  poured  out 
her  questions  in  her  excitement,  her  grand- 
father having  hardly  a  chance  to  repeat  a 


AT   THE   GR  AVI  (FATHER'S  53 

continual  "  Yes,  yes.  child,"  now  and  then. 
When  the  goats  had  licked  up  all  the  salt, 
her  grandfather  said,  "  Go  fetch  your  little 
mug  and  some  bread." 

Heidi  obeyed  ;  and  he  milked  the  goats 
into  the  mupf,  into  which  he  cut  bits  of 
bread,  and  said:  "Now  eat  your  supper, 
and  then  go  to  bed.  Dete  left  another 
bundle  for  you,  there  are  your  night 
o-owns,  and  so  on,  in  it.  You  will  find 
them  in  the  press.  I  must  put  up  the 
goats  now.     Go,  and  sleep  soundly." 

"  Good-night,  grandfather,  good-night," 
shouted  Heidi  after  him,  as  he  disappeared 
with  the  sfoats.     "  What  are  their  names  ?  " 

"  The  white  one  is  called  Schwanli,  the 
other  Barli." 

"Good-night,  Schwanli;  good-night, 
Barli,"  shouted   the   child,  at   the   top  of 


54  HEIDI 

her  voice,  to  the  goats,  who  were  already 
going"  into  their  stall. 

The  little  girl  sat  down  on  the  bench  to 
eat  her  bread  and  milk,  but  the  wind  w-as 
so  strong  that  it  almost  blew  her  oH  her 
seat ;  so  she  ate  as  fast  as  she  could,  went 
into  the  cottage,  climbed  up  to  her  bed, 
and  was  soon  fast  asleep.  Indeed,  she 
slept  all  night  as  comfortably  as  a  princess. 

Not  long  after,  but  before  it  was  quite 
dark,  the  okl  man  also  went  to  bed  ;  for  he 
was  always  up  l)y  sunrise,  and  that  was 
v^ery  earl)-  in  summer  on  the  mountain. 
Durinpf  the  ni^rht  the  wind  arose.  It  blew 
so  hard  that  the  hut  shook,  and  the  beams 
all  cracked.  The  wind  roared  and  moaned 
through  the  big  chimney  as  if  in  anguish  : 
in  the  old  pine-tree,  too,  it  blew  a  blast 
that  broke  the  old  branches  off  as  if  in 


AT   THE   GRANDFATHER'S.  55 

anofer.  In  the  midsfof  it  all  the  old  man 
rose,  saying"  to  himself,  "The  child  will  be 
afraid."  He  mounted  the  ladder,  and  went 
softly  into  Heidi's  chamber.  The  moon 
was  shining  brightly  in  the  clear  sky,  but 
in  a  moment  the  driving  clouds  flew  across, 
and  everything  was  dark.  In  another  mo- 
ment she  shone  clearly  forth,  through  the 
round  hole  in  the  roof,  and  her  beams  fell 
on  Heidi's  bed.  The  little  one  slept  with 
rosy  red  cheeks  under  her  heavy  covering, 
quiet  and  peaceful,  with  one  round  arm 
under  her  head,  and  certainly  dreaming  of 
something  that  made  her  happy ;  for  her 
little  face  beamed  with  contentment.  Her 
grandfather  stood  long,  looking  at  the 
lonely,  sleeping  child,  until  the  clouds  again 
obscured  the  moon  ;  then  he  turned,  and 
went  down  the  ladder. 


56  HEIDI. 


CHAPTER     III. 

IN    THE    PASTURE. 

Heidi  was  awakened  on  the  following 
morning  by  a  loud  whistle ;  and  as  she 
opened  her  eyes  a  )ellow  sunbeam,  shin- 
ing through  the  opening,  fell  on  her  bed, 
and  turned  it,  and  all  the  hay  that  was 
spread  about  the  loft,  to  glistening  gold. 
She  looked  about  her  with  astonishment, 
and  could  not  make  out  where  she  was. 

Soon  she  heard  her  grandfather's  deep 
voice,  and  it  all  came  back  to  her :  how 
she  came  there,  and  that  now  she  lived 
with  her  grandfather  up  on  the  Aim,  and 
no  longer  with    the   old    Ursel,   who  was 


IN   T!IK    rASTURK.  57 

quite  deaf,  and  so  chilly  that  she  was 
alvva)'S  sitting  by  the  kitchen  fire  or  by 
the  Stove,  where  the  child  must  sit  also,  or 
quite  near,  in  order  that  the  old  woman 
might  see  what  she  was  doing,  as  she 
could  not  hear.  Poor  Heidi  always  felt  it 
stifling  and  close  in  the  room,  and  longed 
to  get  out.  How  glad  she  was  to  awake 
in  her  new  home  ;  to  remember  how  much 
she  had  seen  the  day  before,  that  was  new; 
and  to  think  of  all  the  coming  day  had 
in  store  for  her,  above  all  Schwanli  and 
Barli ! 

Springing  up.  she  soon  had  on  all  her 
clothes  of  the  da)-  before  ;  and  they  were 
few  enough.  Down  the  ladder  she  ran, 
and  away  out-of-doors.  There  stood  Peter 
with  his  ofoats;  and  her  c^randfather  brought 

o  o  O 

out  his  from  the  stall,  that  they  might  join 


58  IIKIDI. 

the  Hock.  Mcidi  bade  both  him  and  the 
goats  a  good  morning. 

"  Would  )ou  like  to  go  with  them  to  the 
pasture?"  asked  the  old  man. 

And  the  child  could  only  jump  for  joy, 
she  was  so  delighted. 

"  First,  however,  )ou  must  wash  and 
make  yourself  clean  ;  or  the  sun  will  laugh 
at  you,  while  he  is  shining  so  brightly  up 
there,  and  sees  )ou  all  dirty  and  black. 
Look  there,  everjthing  is  reach'  for  )ou  ;  " 
and  he  pointed  to  a  big  tub  of  water  that 
stood  in  the  sun  before  the  door.  Heidi 
splashed  and  rubbed  herself  till  she  shone 
again.  Her  grandfather  in  the  mean  while 
went  into  the  hut.  and  .soon  called  out  to 
Peter,  — 

"  Come  here,  goat -general,  and  bring 
your  knapsack." 


IN   THE    PASTURI-:  59 

Peter  obeyed  in  surprise,  and  opened 
his  bag.  in  which  was  his  poor  httle  dinner. 

"Wider,  wider,"  said  the  old  man,  and 
put  in  a  big"  piece  of  bread  and  another 
piece  of  cheese.  Peter  opened  his  eyes 
as  wide  as  ever  he  could,  for  the  pieces 
vvere  each  twice  as  large  as  his  own. 

"  Now  the  muo-  croes  in,  too,  for  the 
little  one  can't  drink  as  you  do  from  the 
goats  themselves ;  no,  indeed.  And  you 
must  milk  this  twice  full  at  noon  ;  for  the 
child  will  go  with  you,  and  stay  till  you 
come  back  in  the  eveninor.  Now,  take  care 
that  she  does  not  fall  off  the  cliffs." 

Heidi  was  soon  ready,  and  came  running 
to  say,  "  Now  can  the  sun  make  fun  of 
me.  grandfather?"  In  her  fear  of  the 
laughter  of  the  sun,  she  had  rubbed  her 
face,  neck,  and  arms  so  roughly  with  the 


60  HEIDI. 

coarse  towel  she  found  by  the  tub,  thai 
she  was  as  red  as  a  lobster,  as  she  stood 
there  before  him. 

He  laughed  a  little,  but  said  soothingly, 
"  No,  he  will  find  nothing  to  make  fun  of 
now.  But  do  you  know  something?  In 
the  evening,  when  )'ou  come  home,  you 
must  go  into  the  tub  all  over,  like  a  fish  ; 
for  when  you  go  about  like  the  goats,  )ou 
will  get  very  black  feet.  Now^  go  on  )our 
way  " 

And  on  they  went,  climbing  joyfully  up 
the  Aim.  The  wintl  had  swept  the  last 
trace  ol  cloud  from  the  sk)-.  which  was  ot  a 
wonderful  dark  blue.  The  green  Alp  was 
covered  with  biue  and  )ellow  flowers,  and 
their  wide-open '  petals  seemed  laughing 
back  at  the  sun,  while  everything  shim- 
mered and  shone. 


IN   TFFE    PASTURE  6l 

Heidi  scampered  hither  and  thither, 
shouting  for  joy.  Now  it  was  a  whole 
group  of  red  primroses ;  one  place  was 
perfectly  blue  with  lovely  gentians ;  and 
here  and  everywhere  the  tender  blossoms 
of  the  yellow  buttercups  nodded  and 
laughed  in  the  sunlight.  Carried  away 
with  delight  by  all  the  beckoning,  glisten- 
ing flowers,  the  child  forgot  the  goats,  and 
Peter  also.  Running  now  forwards,  now 
back  aofain  ;  first  on  this  side,  then  on  that 
side ;  for  here  they  were  like  red,  and 
there  like  yellow  sparkles,  and  she  was 
tempted  in  every  direction.  Gathering 
great  handfuls  of  flowers,  she  stuffed 
them  all  into  her  apron;  for  she  must  carry 
them  home  with  her,  and  place  them  in  the 
hay  in  her  bedroom,  to  make  it  look  there 
as  it  did  on  the  Alp. 


62  HEIDI. 

Poor  Peter  was  obliged  to  keep  his  eyes 
about  him  to-day ;  and  those  round  eyes, 
that  were  not  in  the  habit  of  moving  very 
quickly,  had  enough  to  do.  For  the  goats 
were  like  Heidi,  they  ran  about  every- 
where, while  Peter  must  whistle  and  shout 
and  swing  his  rod  to  bring  together  all  the 
wanderers. 

"  Where  have  you  gotten  to  now, 
Heidi  ? "  he  called  out,  somewhat  angrily. 
"Here,"  came  back  the  reply  from  — 
somewhere.  Peter  could  see  no  one ;  for 
Heidi  sat  on  the  ground  behind  a  little 
mound  that  was  covered  with  the  sweetest- 
smelling  prune  flowers,  and  the  whole  air 
was  perfumed.  Heidi  hatl  never  breathed 
anything  so  perfectl)-  delicious.  She  seated 
herself  among  the  bushes,  and  drew  in  the 
scent  in  long,  full -drawn  breathings. 


IN   THE   PASTURE  63 

"  Come  here  now,"  shouted  Peter 
"  You  must  not  fall  over  the  precipicesi 
your  grandfather  has  forbidden  it." 

"Where  are  the  precipices?"  asked  the 
child,  but  did  not  stir  from  her  seat ;  foi 
with  every  breeze  the  sweet  perfume  was 
wafted  to  her  nostrils. 

*'  Up  there,  aloft.  We  have  still  a  good 
bit  to  climb :  so  come  along.  Up  there, 
at  the  ver)'  top,  sits  the  old  eagle,  and 
screams  !  " 

This  stirred  the  little  girl.  She  jumped 
up,  and  ran  towards  her  companion,  with 
her  apron   full  of  flowers. 

"  Now  you  have  picked  enough  of 
these,"  said  he,  "  else  you  will  be  always 
stopping ;  and  besides,  if  to-day  you  pick 
them  all,  to-morrow  you  will  find  no  more." 

This  last  reason  convinced  Heidi ;   more- 


64  HEIDI 

over,  she  had  stuffed  her  apron  so  full  that 
there  was  not  room  for  another  riower, 
and  to-morrow  she  must  see  them  again. 

She  now  kept  along  with  Peter ;  and  the 
goats,  too,  went  in  better  order,  for  they 
scented  the  sweet  herbs  from  their  pasture 
on  the  heights  afar,  and  pushed  forward 
without  pausing. 

The  pasture  where  Peter  usually  stopped 
and  made  his  resting-place  for  the  day,  lay 
at  the  foot  of  the  peak,  which  rose  steep 
and  naked  towards  the  sky,  from  its  base 
clothed  with  scrub  trees  and  bushes.  On 
one  side  of  the  Alp  the  great  rocks  were 
divided  by  steep  clefts  and  chasms,  and 
the  old  man  was  quite  right  to  warn  them 
against  that  danger. 

As  they  now  had  reached  the  highest 
point,  Peter  took  oil  his  knapsack,  placing 


IN  THE   PASTURE.  Of 

it  carefully  in  a  little  hollow  where  it  would 
be  sheltered  from  the  wind,  which  blew 
often  in  strong  gusts  up  so  high  on  the 
mountain.  This  Peter  knew  very  well, 
and  did  not  mean  to  see  his  knapsack,  with 
the  nice  dinner,  go  rolling  down  the  hill- 
side. Having  put  this  in  a  place  of  safety, 
Peter  stretched  himself  his  full  leno-th  on 
the  sunny  sod,  to  rest  after  the  steep 
Ascent. 

Heidi  had  also  tucked  her  apron  into 
the  same  hollow  with  the  knapsack,  hav- 
ing rolled  it  up  with  all  the  flowti-s  in  it; 
then  she  seated  herself  beside  Peter,  and 
looked  about  her  on  every  side.  Below 
lay  the  valley  in  the  full  glow  of  the 
morning  sun ;  before  her  was  a  huge 
white  snow-field  rising  towards  the  dark- 
blue    heaven ;    to   the    left,    an    enormous 


66  HEIDI. 

mass  of  rocks  was  piled  up,  on  each  side 
of  which  stood  a  piDar  of  rock,  bald  and 
jagged  against  the  blue  sky.  Heidi 
thought  the  pinnacles  were  looking  down 
at  her ;  and  she  sat  there  as  still  as  a  little 
mouse,  and  looked  and  looked  on  every 
side.  All  was  still ;  only  a  light,  soft 
breeze  stirred  the  blue  harebells,  and  the 
shining  yellow  buttercups,  that  grew  all 
about,  and  stood  nodding^  to  her  on  their 
slender  stalks.  Peter  had  fallen  asleep 
after  his  exertions ;  and  the  goats  climbed 
here  and  there,  and  up  into  the  bushes. 

Never  was  the  child  so  happy  in  her 
life.  She  drank  in  the  golden  sunlight, 
the  fresh  air,  the  sweet  perfume  of  the 
flowers,  and  lonoed  for  nothino-  but  to 
stay  where  she  was  forever. 

Thus   a    long,    long   time    passed ;    and 


IN   THE    PASTURE.  67 

Heidi  gazed  at  the  needles  of  rock  above 
her  so  long  and  steadfastly  that  they 
seemed  to  have  gotten  faces,  and  to  be 
returning  her  gaze  like  old  friends,  wher 
suddenly  she  heard  above  her  a  loud, 
sharp  scream.  As  she  looked  up,  a  huge 
bird  circled  overhead,  such  as  she  had 
never  seen  before  ;  with  wide-spread  wings 
il  soared  through  the  air,  and  in  great 
sweeps  came  back  again  and  again,  scream- 
ing loud  and  piercingly  over  Heidi's  head. 

"  Peter,  Peter !  wake  up  !  "  cried  Heidi 
aloud.  "  See,  the  eagle  is  here ;  look, 
look !  " 

Peter  roused  himself  at  her  cry ;  and  the 
children  gazed  at  the  bird,  which  rose 
higher  and  higher,  disappearing  at  last  in 
the  blue  ether  over  the  gray  rocks. 

**  Where  is  he  now  ?  "  asked  Heidi,  who 


68  HEIDI. 

had  watched   the  bird  with  breathless   in 
terest. 

"  In  his  home  up  there." 

"Oh,  how  beautiful  to  live  up  there! 
But  why  does  he  scream  so  ? " 

"  Because  he  must." 

"  Let  us  climb  up  there  to  see  his 
home,"  suggested  Heidi. 

"  Oh,  oh,  oh  !  "  cried  Peter ;  and  each 
"oh"  was  louder  than  the  last.  "Even 
the  goats  are  not  able  to  climb  up  there, 
and  the  Aim  uncle  said  you  must  not  fall 
over  the  precipice." 

After  this  Peter  beofan  to  whistle  and 
call  so  loudly  that  Heidi  did  not  know 
what  had  happened  ;  but  the  goats  knew 
well  enough,  and  all  came  running  and 
jumping,  and  were  soon  all  gathered  on 
the  green  field.    Some  nibbled  at  the  sweet 


IN   THE    PASTURE.  69 

grass,  others  ran  here  and  there,  while 
some  stood  opposite  each  other  a  httle  way 
apart,  and  butted  playfully  with  their  horns. 
Springing  to  her  feet,  Heidi  ran  in  amidst 
the  ofoats,  for  she  found  it  a  new  and 
indescribable  pleasure  to  see  the  dear 
little  creatures  gambolling  together  so  hap- 
pily ;  and  she,  too,  jumped  from  one  to 
another  to  make  herself  acquainted  with 
each  separately,  for  each  had  its  own 
peculiarities,  and  looked  and  behaved  dif- 
ferently. 

While  Heidi  played  with  the  goats,  Peter 
had  fetched  the  knapsack,  and  arranged  the 
four  parcels  in  a  square  on  the  grass,  the 
big  ones  on  Heidi's  side,  and  the  little 
ones  on  his  ;  then  he  filled  the  mug  with 
fresh  milk  from  Schwanli,  and  placed  it  in 
the  middle  of  the  square." 


) 


70  HEIDI. 

Then  he  called  to  Heidi  to  come,  but 
he  had  to  call  again  and  again,  longer 
than  to  the  goats ;  for  the  child  was  so 
delighted  with  the  thousand  movements 
and  pranks  of  her  new  playfellows,  that 
she  saw  and  heard  nothing  further.  Peter 
understood  how  to  make  himself  heard. 
He  shouted  so  veiy  loud  that  he  could 
have  been  heard  up  on  the  rocks,  causing 
Heidi  to  run  as  fast  as  she  could  ;  and 
then  the  table  looked  so  very  inviting, 
that  she  hopped  about  it  for  very  joy. 

"  Stop  dancing  about,  it  is  time  to  eat," 
said  Peter,'  seating  himself  and  beginning. 

"Is  the  milk  for  me?"  asked  Heidi,  as 
she  took  her  seat,  surveying  the  four 
corners  and  the  centre  ornament  with 
pleasure. 

"Yes,"   he   replied,    "and   the   two   big- 


IN   THE   PASTURE.  yi 

gest  packages  are  yours  also ;  and  when 
you  have  emptied  the  mug,  you  can  have 
another  one  full  from  SchwiinH  ;  and  when 
you   have  finished   'tis  my  turn." 

"And  where  do  you  get  your  milk?" 
asked  the  little  girl  curiously. 

"  From  my  goat,  from  Snail.  Do  be- 
gin." 

Heidi  began  at  last,  with  the  milk  ;  and 
when  she  had  emptied  the  mug,  Peter 
rose  and  filled  it  again.  Heidi  broke 
some  of  her  bread  into  it,  and  then 
handed  the  rest  of  it  to  Peter.  It  was  a 
big  piece,  twice  as  large  as  his,  which  he 
had  already  eaten,  together  with  the  rest 
of  his  dinner.  She  gave  him  also  her  big 
lump  of  cheese,  saying,  "  You  can  have  it 
all,  I  have  had  enough."  Peter  stared  at 
Heidi   with    his    big    eyes    in    speechless 


72  HEIDI. 

astonishment ;  for  never  in  his  Hfe  had  he 
been  able  to  say  what  she  had  just  said, 
nor  to  give  anything  away.  He  hesitated 
a  Httle,  for  he  could  not  beheve  that  Heidi 
was  in  earnest ;  but  the  child  held  her 
pieces  towards  him  again,  and  when  he 
did  not  take  them,  she  at  last  laid  them 
on  his  knee. 

When  he  saw  that  she  was  serious,  he 
took  his  present,  nodded  for  thanks  and 
pleasure,  and  made  forthwith  the  heartiest 
meal  that  had  fallen  to  his  share  since  he 
first  tended  the  goats.  While  he  ate, 
Heidi  watched  the  flock. 

"  What  are  all  their  names,  Peter  ?  "  said 
she. 

He  knew^  them,  and  could  carry  them 
in  his  head  easily  enough  ;  for  he  had  little 
else  there.     So  he  began  and  named  them 


IN   THE   PASTURE.  73 

one  alter  the  other  without  hesitating,  and 
pointed  at  each  with  his  finger  as  he 
spoke.  To  this  lesson  Heidi  gave  all  her 
attention,  and  soon  could  also  name  them 
all ;  for  each  had  its  peculiarity,  which  was 
easily  learned  with  a  little  pains. 

There  was  the  big  Turk  with  his  strong 
horns,  who  was  forever  butting  the  others  ; 
so  that  they  generally  scampered  away 
when  he  came  towards  them,  and  would 
have  nothing  to  do  with  such  a  rough  com- 
rade. Only  the  bold  and  slender  This- 
tlebird  did  not  avoid  him,  but  struck  out 
sharply,  once,  twice,  sometimes  six  times, 
until  the  great  Turk  stood  still  in  astonish- 
ment, and  did  not  tr)'  again  soon ;  for 
Thistlebird  stood  always  ready  for  battle, 
and  had  sharp  horns,  too. 

And  the  little  white  Snowball,  who  was 


74  HEIDI. 

always  bleating  beseechingly,  often  Heidi 
ran  to  it,  takino-  its  head  between  her 
hands  to  comfort  it.  Even  now  the  child 
sprang  towards  it  again,  for  she  heard  its 
wailing  cry ;  she  put  her  arm  round  the 
little  creature's  neck,  saying  .sympathiz- 
ingly,  "What  ails  you.  Snowball?  Why 
do  you  call  for  help  so  piteously  ?  " 

The  animal  nestled  confidingly  against 
the  little  girl,  and  was  quiet  again  ;  and 
Peter  called  out  from  his  seat,  explain- 
ing Snowball's  trouble  between  each 
mouthful. 

"  She  does  that  because  her  old  one 
does  not  come  with  us  any  more.  She 
has  been  sold  to  Mayenfeld,  the  day 
before  yesterday,  and  will  not  come  any 
more  to  the  Aim." 

"  Who  is  the  old  one  ? "  asked  Heidi. 


l^    THE   PASTURE.  75 

"  Pooh  !  its  mother,"  was  the  reply. 

"  Where  is  the  grandmother  ? "  usked 
the  child. 

"  Has  none." 

"Or  the  grandfather?" 

"  Has  none." 

"  Oh,  you  poor  little  Snowball !  "  said 
Heidi  tenderly,  pressing  the  goat  softly 
to  her  side.  "  But  now  don't  cry  so  any 
more;  I  will  come  here  every  day  with 
you,  then  you  will  not  be  lonely ;  and  if 
)0u  are  feeling  very  badly,  you  ma)'  come 
to  me." 

Snowball  rubbed  her  head  trustingly 
on  Heidi's  shoulder,  and  bleated  no  more. 

When  Peter  had  finished  his  dinner,  he 
came  again  to  look  after  his  flock,  which 
had  already  begun  its  researches. 

By  far  the  loveliest  and  cleanest  of  the 


76  HEIDI. 

goats  were  Schwanli  and  Barli.  who  cer- 
tainly behaved  with  greater  decorum  than 
the  others,  generally  went  their  own  way 
and  avoided  them,  despising  the  Turk 
particularly,  who  was  very  forward.  The 
animals  had  begun  again  to  climb  up 
towards  the  bushes,  each  in  its  own  way; 
one  springing  lightly  over  every  obstacle, 
others  carefully  searching  all  along  the 
way  for  a  good  mouthful ;  Turk  trying 
now  and  then  to  give  some  one  a  blow ; 
Schwanli  and  Barli  climbing  prettily  and 
lightly,  finding  the  best  bushes,  and  eating 
in  a  delicate  and  dainty  manner.  Heidi 
stood  with  her  hands  behind  her  back, 
watching  all  that  went  on. 

"  Peter,"  said  she  to  him,  as  he  lay  again 
stretched  on  the  ground,  "  the  prettiest  of 
all  are  Schwanli  and  Barli." 


IN   THiE   PASTURE.  ^7 

"  I  know  that,"  was  his  reply  ;  "  the  Aim 
uncle  cleans  them  and  combs  them,  gives 
them  salt,  and  has  such  nice  stalls."  Sud- 
denly the  lad  sprang  to  his  feet,  and  was 
after  the  goats  with  great  leaps  ;  and  Heidi 
after  him,  for  something  must  have  hap- 
pened, and  she  could  not  stay  behind. 

Away  went  Peter  through  the  Hock 
towards  the  side  of  the  Alp,  where  the 
rocks  rose  up  steep  and  naked,  and  where 
a  heedless  goat  might  easily  fall,  and  get 
its  legs  broken,  while  climbing.  He  saw 
that  the  giddy  Thistlebird  had  strayed  in 
that  direction,  and  he  ran  after  her  only 
just  in  time,  for  she  had  reached  the  very 
edge  of  the  precipice.  As  he  was  about 
to  seize  her,  he  tripped  and  fell,  catching 
her  only  by  the  leg  as  he  came  down ; 
but  he  held  her  fast,  though   she  bleated 


78  HEIDI. 

with  surprise  and  anger  to  find  herself 
held,  and  unable  to  go  on  with  her  frolic- 
some amusements,  while  she  persisted  in 
pressing  forward.  Peter  called  loudly  for 
Heidi ;  he  was  unable  to  rise,  and  seemed 
to  himself  almost  pulling  the  little  goat's 
leg  off,  she  was  so  determined  to  go  on. 
In  a  trice  Heidi  was  there,  saw  the  dan- 
ger of  his  situation  and  of  the  goat's. 
Pulling  quickly  a  sweet-smelling  herb,  she 
held  it  under  Thistlebird's  nose,  saying 
soothingly,  "  Come,  come,  little  goat  ; 
come  and  be  orood,  Thistlebird.  See, 
now,  you  might  have  fallen  and  broken 
your  leg,  and  that  would  have  hurt  )ou 
sadly."  The  goat  turned  quickly  about 
to  nibble  at  the  herb  held  out  by  Heidi, 
and  was  quite  content.  But  Peter,  having 
regained   his   feet,   hastened   to    seize    the 


IN   THE    PASTURE.  79 

String  that  hung  from  her  collar,  while 
Heidi  took  the  collar  from  the  other  side  ; 
and  they  led  the  wanderer  between  them 
to  rejoin  the  rest  of  the  flock,  which  was 
peaceably  feeding  below. 

Once  Peter  had  his  goat  in  safety  again, 
he  raised  his  rod,  and  was  about  to  whip 
her  soundly ;  while  Thistlebird  drew  back 
in  alarm,  for  she  saw  what  was  coming. 
Heidi,  however,  screamed  out  in  terror : 
"  No,  Peter,  no !  you  must  not  strike 
her ;    see  how  frightened  she  is !  " 

"  She  deserves  it,"  said  he  angrily,  and 
was  about  to  strike  ;  but  the  child  seized 
him  by  the  arm,  calling  out,  "  You  must 
let  her  alone  !  " 

Her  companion  stood  staring  in  surprise 
at  her  commanding  tones  and  flashing 
eyes,  while    he    involuntarily  dropped   his 


80  HEIDI. 

arm,  saying,  "So.  then,  she  may  go,  if 
you  will  give  me  some  of  }oiir  cheese  to- 
morrow." He  felt  that  he  must  have 
"omethinof  to  console  him  for  his  fricrht. 

"You  may  have  it  all,  to-morrow  and 
every  day,  for  I  do  not  care  for  it,"  said 
Heidi,  "  and  a  big  piece  of  bread  also,  as 
I  gave  you  to-day ;  but  you  must  promise 
me  not  to  strike  Thistlebird  nor  Snowball, 
nor  any  of  the  goats." 

"  It's  all  the  same  to  me,"  said  Peter. 
That  was  his  equivalent  for  a  promise, 
and  he  let  the  offender  go.  Away  sprang 
the  happy  goat  with  great  leaps,  in  amongst 
the  others. 

Almost  unheeded  the  day  had  passed, 
and  now  the  sun  was  beginning  to  sink 
behind  the  mountain.  Heidi  sat  quietly 
on    the   ground,   gazing    at   the   harebells 


IN   THE   PASTURE.  8  I 

and  bluebells,  as  they  shone  in  the  golden 
light,  observing  how  the  grass  took  a 
golden  hue,  and  how  the  rocks  above  be- 
gan to  shimmer  and  flash,  when  suddenly 
she  started  to  her  feet,  shouting,  "Peter, 
Peter!  it  is  burning,  it  is  on  fire!  All  the 
mountains  flame,  and  the  great  snow 
yonder,  and  the  sky.  Look,  look !  the 
highest  peak  is  glowing.  Oh,  the  beauti- 
ful fire !  Now  look,  Peter,  it  has  reached 
the  eagle's  nest.  See  the  rock !  see  the 
pines  !  everything  burns  !  " 

"  It  is  always  like  that,  but  it  is  no  fire," 
said  Peter  kindly. 

"  What  is  it,  then  ?  "  cried  Heidi,  and  ran 
about  in  every  direction  to  look ;  for  she 
could  not  see  enough  of  it  standing  still, 
it  was  so  beautiful  everywhere.  "  What  is 
it,  Peter?  what  is  it?"  she  asked  again. 


52  HEIDI. 

"  It  comes  of  itself,"  explained  the  lad. 

"  Look,  look  now !  "  she  screamed,  in 
the  wildest  excitement,  "just  this  minute 
it  is  all  as  red  as  roses.  Look  at  the  snow 
and  those  high,  pointed  rocks !  What  are 
they  called  ? " 

"  Mountains  have  no  names,"  was  the 
answer. 

"  Oh,  the  lovely,  rosy  snow  !  and  all  over 
the  rocks  are  roses.  Oh,  now  they  are 
growing  gray  !  It  is  going  !  it  has  all  gone, 
Peter !  "  and  little  Heidi  threw  herself  on 
the  ground,  looking  as  unhappy  as  if  there 
were  an  end  to  all  beauty  in  the  world. 

"  It  will  be  just  so  again  to-morrow," 
said  the  lad.  "  Get  up,  we  must  go  home 
now."  So,  whistling  the  herd  together, 
they  set  out  on  their  homeward  track. 

"  Will"  it  be  so  every  day,  always  when 


IN   THE   PASTURE.  83 

we  go  up  to  the  pasture  ? "  asked  the 
child,  longing  for  an  assuring  reply,  as  she 
descended  the  Aim  with  the  goatherd. 

"  Generally,"  he  said. 

*'  But  certainly  to-morrow?" 

"  Yes,  to-morrow,  of  course." 

This  promise  quieted  the  child,  who  had 
to-day  received  so  many  new  impressions, 
and  through  whose  little  head  such  a  mul- 
titude of  thoughts  was  running,  that  she 
scarcely  spoke  a  word,  until  the  Aim  hut 
came  in  siofht,  and  she  discerned  her 
grandfather  sitting  on  his  bench  outside, 
waiting  for  the  goats. 

Then  she  ran  to  him  quickly,  with 
Schwanli  and   Barli  at  her  heels. 

Peter  called  out,  "  Come  again  to-mor- 
row, good-night."  He  was  ver^^  anxious 
for  Heidi  to  go  again.     And  the  child  ran 


84  HEIDI. 

to  him,  gave  him  her  hand,  promising  to 
go  to-morrow,  and  bidding  good-bye  to 
the  departing  goats.  She  put  her  arm 
about  the  neck  of  Httle  Snowball  es- 
pecially, saying,  "  Good-night,  Snowball ; 
sleep  well ;  don't  forget  that  I  am  going 
with  you  again  to-morrow,  and  you  must 
not  bleat  so  sadly  again," 

The  goat  looked  at  her  with  friendly 
eyes,  and  then  sprang  joyfully  after  the 
others. 

Then  Heidi  came  back  under  the  pine- 
tree,  calling  out  before  she  could  reach 
her  grandfather  :  "  Oh,  it  was  so  beauti- 
ful !  The  fire,  and  the  roses  on  the  rock, 
the  blue  and  yellow  flowers.  Look  !  what 
I  have  brought  you." 

She  shook  out  all  the  flowers  from  her 
apron,  before  her  grandfather. 


IN   THE    PASTURE.  85 

But  how  the  poor  little  flowers  looked ! 
The  child  did  not  recognize  them  ;  they 
were  like  hay,  not  one  was  open. 

"  What  is  the  matter  with  them,  grand- 
father?" cried  she,  frightened.  "They 
did  not  look  like  that  when   I  got  them." 

"They  want  to  be  out  in  the  sun,  and 
wot  in  your  little  apron,"  said  the  old 
man. 

"Then  I  will  not  bring  any  more.  But 
why  did  the  eagle  scream  so  ? "  she  asked 
anxiously. 

"  Now  you  must  go  and  wash  yourself, 
while  I  go  to  the  goats'  stall  to  fetch  the 
milk ;  and  afterwards  we  will  go  into  the 
hut  for  supper,  and  then  I  will  answer 
your  questions." 

Heidi  obeyed ;  and  later,  when  she  sat 
on  her  stool,  and  ate  her  bread  and  milk. 


to 


86  HETDI. 

she  began  again,  "Why  does  the  eagle 
scream  so,  and  scold  so  loud  ? " 

"  He  is  scornfid  about  the  people  down 
^  :  below,  who  huddle  together  in  their  vil- 
/  lages,  and  tease  each  other ;  and  so  he 
scolds  at  them.  If  they  would  separate, 
and  each  go  his  own  way,  and  climb  up  a 
mountain,  as  1  do,  it  would  be  far  better." 
Her  grandfather  said  this  in  a  half-wild 
way,  that  reminded  the  child  of  the  scream- 
ing eagle. 

"  But  why  have  the  mountains  no 
names  ? "  asked  she,  after  a  pause. 

"They  have  names,"  he  said.  "  If  you 
can  describe  one  to  me  so  that  I  recognize 
it,  I  will  tell  you  the  name." 

Heidi  described  the  pile  of  rocks  with  the 
two  pinnacles  on  each  side,  exactly  as  she 
saw  it ;   and   her  grandfather  replied,  well 


IN   THE   PASTURE.  87 

pleased :    "  That   is   right,   I    know    it,   it  is 
called  Falkniss,      Have  you  seen  others  ?  " 

"There  was  another  with  the  bie  snow- 
field,  which  looked  as  if  it  was  on  fire, 
and  then  grew  pink,  and  was  suddenly 
quite  gray,  and  died  out." 

"  I  know  that,  too,"  said  he ;  "  that  i? 
the  Casaplana.  So  you  liked  it  up  there 
on  the  pastures  ?  " 

Then  Heidi  told  him  all  that  had  hap 
pened  during  the  day ;  how  beautiful  i'- 
was,  and  particularly  about  the  fire  at 
sunset,  and  begged  her  grandfather  to 
explain  it  to  her,  for  Peter  knew  nothing 
whatever  about  it. 

*'  Yes,"  said  her  grandfather,  "  the  oun 
does  that  when  he  says  good-night  to  the 
mountains.  He  casts  his  most  beaut'ful 
beams  across  them,  so  that  they  will   not 


s$ 


HEIDI. 


forget   that   he   is   coming   again    in    the 
morning." 

This  pleased  the  httle  girl,  and  she 
could  scarcely  wait  until  the  morrow,  she 
was  in  such  haste  to  go  again  to  see 
the  sun  bid  good-night  to  the  mountains. 
But  first  she  must  go  to  sleep  ;  and  she 
did  sleep  through  the  whole  night  soundly 
in  her  little  hay  bed,  and  dreamed  of  pink 
mountains  covered  with  roses,  in  the  midst 
of  which  Snowball  jumped  gayly  about. 


WITH   THE   GRANDMOTHER.  89 


CHAPTER   IV. 

WITH    THE    GRANDMOTHER. 

On  the  following  day  the  bright  sun 
came  again,  as  well  as  Peter  with  the 
goats,  and  they  all  climbed  up  again  to 
the  pasture.  Many  days  passed  thus; 
and  the  life  agreed  so  well  with  little  Heidi 
that  she  became  strong  and  brown,  and 
had  never  an  ailment,  but  was  as  merry  as 
the  merry  bird  on  the  trees  in  the  green 
woods. 

As  autumn  came  on,  and  the  wind  blew 
harder  over  the  mountains,  her  grandfather 
would  sometimes  say :  "  You  must  stay  at 
home  to-day,  Heidi.     Such  a  little  one  as 


qO  HFIDI. 

you  might  be  carried  off  by  the  wind,  at 
one  blast,  down  into  the  valley." 

When  Peter  learned  this,  he  did  not 
look  happy,  and  foresaw  all  sorts  of  un- 
pleasant things  that  would  happen.  He 
was  so  lonely  that  he  did  not  know  what 
to  do  without  Heidi ;  and  then  he  would 
not  have  his  fine  dinner ;  and  the  goats 
were  also  very  unrul)'  when  the  child  was 
not  with  them,  and  gave  him  twice  as 
much  trouble,  for  they  were  so  accustomed 
to  her  companionship  that  they  could  not 
go  forward  properly  without  her,  and  ran 
about  on  all  sides. 

Heidi,  for  her  part,  was  never  unhappy. 
There  was  always  something  that  inter- 
ested and  amused  her.  But  of  all  she 
liked  to  go  with  the  herd  and  the  herds- 
boy  to  the  pasture,  to  be  sure  ;  for  there 


WITH   THE   GRANDMOTHER.  9I 

were  the  flowers  and  the  eagle,  and  always 
something-  new  and  exciting  happening  to 
the  different  goats.  Still,  in  her  grand- 
father's room  there  was  always  hammering 
and  sawing  that  delighted  her  also.  Once 
when  he  was  making  a  new  trough  for  the 
goats,  she  watched  him  working  with  his 
bare  arms  in  the  round  tub ;  and  he  was  so 
skilful  that  she  was  enchanted. 

But  Heidi's  greatest  joy  came  on  the 
windy  days,  when  the  soughing  and  sigh- 
ing in  the  big  pines  behind  the  hut  began. 
Then  she  was  always  running  to  listen  to 
the  wind,  and  left  anything  she  might  be 
about  to  hear  the  deep,  mysterious  tones 
in  the  high  branches.  She  would  stand 
looking  up,  and  never  get  tired  of  won- 
dering at  the  swaying  and  rushing  and 
p  loaning  of  the  trees. 


'^ 


92  HEIDI. 

The  sun  was  now  no  longer  hot,  as  in 
the  summer,  and  the  child  was  glad  to  get 
out  her  shoes  and  stockings,  and  also  her 
frock,  for  it  was  every  day  colder ;  and 
when  she  stood  out  under  the  trees  she 
was  blown  about  as  if  she  were  a  little 
thin  leaflet.  But  she  always  was  scamper- 
ing out,  and  could  never  stay  in  the  hut 
when  once  she  heard  the  call  of  the  wind. 

At  last  it  was  very  cold.  Peter  blew 
upon  his  fingers  as  he  came  up  early,  but 
he  did  not  come  much  longer ;  for  one 
night  there  was  a  deep  snowfall,  and  in 
the  morning  the  whole  Aim  was  white,  and 
not  a  green  leaf  to  be  seen  anywhere. 
Now  the  goatherd  came  no  more  with  his 
flock ;  and  Heidi  sat  looking  through  the 
tiny  window,  for  it  was  snowing  again,  and 
the  thick  flakes  filled  the  air,  and  the  snow 


I 


WITH   THE   GRAXDMOTHER.  93 

was  piled  up  at  last  on  a  line  with  the 
window,  then  higher  still,  so  that  they 
could  not  open  it,  and  were  quite  boxed 
up  in  the  hut. 

Heidi  found  this  much  to  her  mind. 
She  was  constantly  running  from  one  win- 
dow to  another,  to  see  the  view  from  each, 
and  wondering  if  they  were  to  be  quite 
buried  up,  for  then  they  would  have  to 
light  a  lamp  in  the  daytime. 

It  did  not  get  to  be  quite  so  bad  as  that, 
however.  On  the  following  day  the  old 
man  went  out,  as  it  had  ceased  to  snow ; 
and  he  shovelled  a  path  round  the  house, 
throwing  up  the  snow  in  great  shovelfuls 
till  it  was  piled  into  big  heaps,  and  formed 
a  mountain  here,  and  another  there,  all 
about. 

Now  at  last  the  windows  were  free,  and 


94  HEIDI. 

the  door,  which  was  a  good  thing  ;  for  when 
Heidi  and  her  grandfather  sat  at  dinner 
together,  each  on  a  three-legged  stool, 
suddenly  came  a  great  knocking  at  the 
door,  and  some  one  struggled  and  kicked 
violently  at  it.  Open  it  came  at  last,  and 
there  stood  Peten,  who  had  not  indeed 
kicked  and  stamped  so  rudely  without 
reason.  It  was  to  clear  his  shoes  of  the 
snow,  for  they  were  quite  covered  with  it ; 
in  fact,  the  whole  Peter  was  a  mass  of 
snow,  for  he  had  forced  his  way  through 
the  drifts,  and  great  masses  clung  to  him 
all  over,  and  were  frozen  on,  it  was  so 
cold.  He  had  persevered,  however,  for  he 
wished  to  see  Heidi.  A  whole  week  was 
too  long  for  him  to  be  awa)'  from  her. 

"  Good-evening,"  said  he,  and  came  as 
near  to  the  fire  as  possible,  and  spoke  not 


WITH   THE   GRANDMOTHER.  95 

another  word.  His  whole  face,  however, 
laughed  for  joy,  he  was  so  glad  to  be 
there,  Heidi  stared  at  him  wonderingly ; 
for  now  that  he  stood  so  near  the  fire, 
the  snow  began  to  melt  on  every  side,  so 
that  he  resembled  a  waterfall  rather  than 
Peter. 

"  Well,  general,  how  are  you  getting 
on?"  said  the  old  man.  "Now  that  you 
have  no  army,  you  must  gnaw  your  slate- 
pencil,  I  suppose," 

"  Why  must  he  gnaw  his  slate-pencil  ?  " 
asked  Heidi  curiously. 

"  He  has  to  go  to  school  in  the  winter," 
explained  her  grandfather,  "  There  you 
must  learn  to  read  and  write,  which  is 
difficult ;  and  it  helps  a  little,  sometimes, 
to  bite  the  slate-pencil.  Is  not  that  so  ? 
Hey,  general  ?  " 


96  HEIDI. 

•'  Yes,  it  is  true,"  assented  Peter. 

By  this  time  the  Httle  girl's  interest 
was  fully  aroused.  She  asked  such  a  vast 
number  of  questions  about  the  school, 
what  happened  there,  what  one  saw  and 
did,  that  the  time  flew ;  and  while  they 
talked  Peter  became  quite  dry  from  top  to 
toe. 

It  cost  him  always  a  great  effort  to  ex- 
plain himself  clearly,  so  as  to  make  his 
meaning  plain  ;  but  this  time  it  was  es- 
pecially hard,  for  no  sooner  had  he  made 
one  statement  than  Heidi  had  two  or  three 
more  questions  ready,  and  generally  such 
as  required  a  whole  sentence  for  answer. 

During  this  conversation  the  old  man 
was  quite  silent ;  but  often  the  corners  of 
his  mouth  twitched  with  amusement,  show- 
ing that  he  listened. 


WITH   THE   GRANDMOTHER.  97 

"  Now,  general,  you  have  been  under 
hre,  and  need  some  nourishment.  You 
must  call  a  halt  now,"  said  he  ;  and  ris- 
ing, he  brought  what  was  needed  for  the 
supper  from  the  cupboard,  and  Heidi  set 
the  seats  at  the  table. 

A  bench  had  been  recently  hammered 
to  the  wall ;  for  now  that  the  old  man  no 
longer  lived  alone,  he  had  made  all  sorts 
of  seats  for  two  people,  as  Heidi  had  a 
way  of  following  him  about  wherever  he 
went  or  stood  or  sat. 

So  now  they  had  all  three  comfortable 
seats ;  and  Peter  opened  his  round  eyes 
very  wide  indeed,  when  he  saw  what  a  big 
piece  of  the  beautiful  dried  meat  the  Aim 
uncle  set  before  him  on  his  thick  slice  of 
bread.  It  was  long  since  the  lad  had  had 
such  a  good  time ;  but  at  last  the  agreeable 


98  HEIDI. 

meal  was  over,  and  he  prepared  to  go 
home,  for  it  was  growing  dark. 

So  he  said  good- night,  and  God  bless 
you,  and  stood  already  in  the  doorway, 
when  turning  back  he  said,  "  Next  Sunday 
I  shall  come  again,  a  week  from  to-day; 
and  you  must  cornie  to  see  my  grandmother, 
she  says  so." 

Now  Heidi  became  possessed  of  an 
entirely  hew  idea,  that  of  going  to  make 
a  visit  herself;  but  it  took  root  in  her 
mind  at  once,  and  on  the  very  next  day 
the  first  thinor  she  said  was  :  "  Grandfather, 
now  I  must  go  to  see  Peter's  grandmother. 
She  expects  me." 

"There  is  too  much  snow,"  he  replied 
evasively. 

But  the  project  had  taken  a  deep  hold 
of  her;  for  the- grandmother  had  sent  her 


WITH    THE   GRANDMOTHER.  99 

-w.'rfi  and  SO  it  must  be  done.  Not  a 
day  passed  that  she  did  not  say  at  least 
five  Of  six  times,  "  Grandfather,  now  I  must 
go,  surely,  for  the  grandmother  expects 
me." 

On  the  fourth  day,  although  everything 
snapped  and  cracked  from  cold  outside, 
and  the  snow  all  about  was  frozen  hard, 
yet  the  sun  shone  beautifully  through  the 
window  on  Heidi,  as  she  sat  on  her  high 
stool  at  dinner ;  and  she  began  her  little 
speech  again,  "To-day  I  must  certainly  go 
to  the  grandmother,  or  it  will  seem  too 
long  to  her." 

Suddenly  her  grandfather  rose  from 
the  table,  went  into  the  loft,  and  brought 
down  the  thick  sack  that  had  served 
Heidi  for  a  coverlid  all  winter,  saying, 
"  Well  then,  come  !  " 


lOO  HEIDI. 

Joyfully  the  child  ran  out  after  him,  into 
the  glistening  snow.  The  old  pines  were 
quiet  now,  and  the  white  snow  lying 
heavily  on  their  branches  so  sparkled  and 
shone  in  the  sunlight,  that  Heidi  leaped 
into  the  air  for  joy,  calling  out  repeatedly, 
"  Come  out,  grandfather,  come  out.  It 
is  all  silver  and  gold  all  over  the  pines !  " 

The  grandfather  now  appeared  from  the 
shed,  with  a  very  big  sledge,  that  had  a 
bar  across  the  front ;  and  from  the  seat, 
with  his  feet  against  the  snow,  any  one 
could  steer  it  in  any  direction.  After  the 
old  man  had  looked  at  the  pine-trees  with 
Heidi,  he  seated  himself  on  the  sledge, 
and  taking  her  in  his  lap,  wrapped  her 
round  and  round  in  the  sack,  so  that  sh'^ 
was  snug  and  warm.  He  held  her  Nv-th 
his  left  arm  tightly  to  his  side,  which  »*"\s 


WITH    THE   GRANDMOTHER.  lOl 

a  wise  arrangement,  considering  the  jour- 
ney they  were  to  take.  Then  he  seized 
the  pole  with  his  right  hand,  gave  a  shove 
with  his  feet,  and  away  went  the  sledge 
down  the  Aim,  with  such  rapidity  that  the 
child  believed  that  they  were  flying,  and 
shouted  aloud  for  joy. 

Directly  in  front  of  goat- Peter's  door, 
the  sledge  all  at  once  stopped.  Heidi  was 
placed  on  the  ground  by  her  grandfather, 
after  he  had  taken  off  her  wraps,  and 
bidden  to  go  in  ;  but  to  come  out  as  soon 
as  it  began  to  grow  dark,  and  to  start  for 
home.  Then,  turning  back,  he  began  to 
climb  the  mountain. 

Heidi  opened  the  door,  and  entered  a 
small  room.  Very  black  it  looked  inside. 
She  could  see  a  hearth,  and  some  plates 
and  dishes  on  the  shelves ;  it  was  in   fact 


I02  HEIDI. 

a  little  kitchen.  She  opened  another  door, 
and  came  into  another  narrow  little  apart- 
ment ;  for  the  house  was  not  a  mountain 
cottage  like  the  Aim  uncle's,  consisting 
of  one  large  room,  with  a  hay-loft  above, 
but  was  a  litde,  old,  very  old  dwelling, 
where  every  thing  was  narrow,  small,  and 
uncomfortable. 

When  our  little  girl  stepped  into  the 
room,  she  came  directly  against  a  table 
at  which  sat  a  woman  mending  trousers, 
Peter's  trousers.  Heidi  recognized  them 
at  once. 

In  the  corner  a  bent  little  old  woman 
was  sitting  at  a  spinning-wheel.  The 
chUd  knew  in  a  moment  who  that  was. 
She  went  straight  over  to  the  spinning- 
wheel,  and  said:  "Good  day,  grandmother; 
at   last    1    have    come    to    see   you.      Did 


WITH    THE   GRANDMOTHER.  IO3 

you   think    it  was  too  long  that    you   had 
to  wait  for  me  ?  " 

The  grandmother  raised  her  head,  and 
felt  for  the  hand  that  was  stretched  out 
towards  her ;  and  when  she  had  held  it 
thoughtfully  in  her  own  for  a  while,  she 
said  :  "Is  this  the  child  who  lives  up  with 
the  Aim  uncle  ?     Are  you   Heidi  ?  " 

"  Yes,  yes,  I  am  Heidi.  I  have  just 
come  down  here  with  my  grandfather  on 
the  sledge." 

"  How    can    that    be,    you    have    such  ' 
nice  warm  hands  ?     Tell  me,  Brigitte,  did 
the    Aim    uncle    come    himself   with    the 
child  ?  " 

Peter's  mother,  Brigitte,  who  had  been 
mending  the  trousers,  stood  up  now,  and 
looked  at  the  child  curiously,  from  head  to 
foot.        • 


I04  HEIDI. 

"  I  do  not  know,  mother,  whether  the 
uncle  himself  came  with  her,"  she  said. 
"  It  is  not  credible,  the  child  may  not 
know  exactly." 

Heidi  looked  fixedly  at  the  woman,  not 
in  the  least  as  if  she  did  not  know  what 
she  was  talking  about,  and  replied :  "  I 
know  perfectly  well  who  wrapped  me  in 
the  coverlid,  and  brought  me  down  on  the 
sledge  in  his  arms.  It  was  my  grand- 
father." 

"  It  must  be  true  what  Peter  has  told  us 
all  summer,  though  we  thought  he  was 
mistaken,"  said  the  old  woman.  "  Who 
would  have  believed  such  a  thing  to  be 
possible  !  I  did  not  think  that  the  child 
could  live  three  weeks  up  there.  How 
does  she  look,  Brigitte  ? " 

The  latter  had  examined  the  little  one 


WITH   THE   GRANDMOTHER.  IO5 

SO  carefully  all  over,  that  she  was  quite 
able  to  answer  by  this  time, 

"  She  is  as  finely  built  as  Adelheid  her 
mother  was,  but  she  has  the  black  eyes 
and  curling  hair  of  Tobias,  and  the  old 
man  up  there.  I  think  she  looks  like 
them  both." 

Heidi  had  not  been  idle  all  this  time  ; 
she  had  looked  about,  observed  everything 
in  the  room,  and  noticed  each  peculiarity. 
Now  she  said :  "  Look  at  the  shutter, 
grandmother ;  it  is  swinging  to  and  fro. 
My  grandfather  would  drive  a  nail  into 
that  at  once,  to  hold  it  fast ;  it  will  soon 
break  one  of  the  panes.  Look,  how  it 
goes !  " 

"  My  good  child,"  said  the  old  woman, 
"  I  cannot  see  it ;  but  I  hear  it  only  too 
well,  and   much   more  besides.     Not  only 


I06  HEIDI. 

the  shutter,  but  everything"  creaks  and 
cracks  when  the  wind  blows  ;  and  we  feel 
the  wind  itself,  too.  Nothing  holds  to- 
gether now  ;  and  in  the  night,  when  the 
other  two  are  asleep,  I  am  often  very  anx- 
ious lest  it  should  all  fall  in  upon  us,  and 
we  should  all  be  killed.  Oh,  there  is  no 
one  to  do  anything  to  the  house,  for  Peter 
does  not  understand  it  at  all." 

"  But  why  can  you  not  see  what  the 
shutter  is  doing,  grandmother  ?  fust  look 
there,  now,  over  there,  right  there  !  "  and 
Heidi  pointed  carefully  to  the  spot  v.ith 
her  fino-er. 

"  Oh,  child,  I  can  see  nothing  at  all ! 
not  only  the  shutter,  but  nodiing  else," 
said   the  grandniother  sadly. 

"  But  if  I  go  out  and  open  the  shut- 
ter wide,  so   diat   it   is  quite    light   in   the 


WITH    THE   GRANDMOTHER.  (07 

room,  can  you  not  see  then,  grand- 
mother?" 

.  '•'  No,  not  then,  not  even  then.  Nobody 
can  make  it  Hglit  ior  me  any  more."  . 

"  But  when  you  go  out  into  the  bright 
snow,  then  surely  it  is  bright  for  you. 
Come  out  with  me,  grandmother,  I  will 
show  it  to  you  ;  "  and  Heidi  took  the  old 
woman  by  the  hand  to  draw  her  out,  for  the 
child  began  to  be  terribly  troubled  that  it 
could  never  be  lisfht  ao-ain  to  her. 

"  Let  me  sit  here  quietly,  you  good  little 
child.  It  will  always  remain  dark  for  me, 
in  snow  and  in  sunshine.  The  light  can 
never  pierce  my  eyeballs  again," 

"  But  in  summer,"  said  the  child,  who 
was  seeking  more  and  more  anxiously  for 
some  point  of  comfort,  "  in  summer,  when 
the  sun  gets  hot  again,  and  then  says  good- 


loS  HEIDI. 

night  to  the  mountains,  until  they  glow  as 
if  they  were  on  fire,  and  all  the  yellow 
flowers  glisten,  then  it  will  be  light  again 
for  you." 

"  My  child,  I  cannot  see  the  fiery 
mountains  nor  the  golden  flowers.  It 
will  never  be  light  for  me  on  the  earth, 
never  again." 

At  this,  Heidi  broke  forth  with  tears 
and  sobs.  Full  of  grief  she  cried  out : 
"  Who  can  make  it  bright  for  you  again  ? 
Can  nobody?     Is  there  nobody  that  can  ?" 

The  grandmother  must  now  comfort 
the  little  one,  but  that  was  not  easy. 
Heidi  very  seldom  cried,  but  when  she 
once  began  it  was  almost  impossible  for 
her  to  check  herself.  Everything  was 
tried  that  could  be  thought  of  to  distract 
her    from   her   grief,   for    it   went    to    the 


WITH   THE   GRANDMOTHER.  IO9 

old  woman's  heart  to  hear  the  child  sob- 
bing so  piteously.  At  last  she  said : 
"  Come  here,  you  good  little  Heidi ;  I 
have  something  to  tell  you.  When  one 
can  see  nothing,  then  listening  becomes  a 
pleasure ;  and  I  listen  so  gladly  when  you 
tell  me  something  pleasant.  Come,  sit 
down  by  me,  and  talk  to  me.  Tell  me 
what  you  do  up  there,  and  what  your 
grandfather  does.  I  used  to  know  him  ; 
but  I  have  heard  nothing  about  him  for 
many  a  year,  except  what  Peter  tells  me, 
and  that  is  not   much." 

Now  Heidi  had  an  idea.  She  wiped 
away  her  tears  as  quickly  as  possible,  and 
said  consolingly:  "Only  wait  a  bit,  grand- 
mother ;  I  will  tell  my  grandfather  all 
about  it.  He  can  surely  make  it  light 
again    for   you,    and    he    will    manage     so 


I  lO  HEIDI. 

that   the    cottage  will    not    fall    to    pieces 
He  can  bring  everything  right." 

The  old  woman  remained  silent ;  and 
Heidi  began  to  tell  her,  in  the  most 
lively  manner,  about  her  life  up  on  the 
mountain  with  her  grandfather,  and  about 
the  days  spent  in  the  pasture,  and  the 
present  winter  life  indoors  ;  how  her 
grandfather  could  make  an)thing  what- 
ever out  of  wood,  benches  and  chairs, 
and  mangers  into  which  he  could  put  ha)" 
for  Schwanli  and  Barli  ;  and  how  he  had 
just  finished  a  big  new  water-trough  for 
summer  bathing,  a  new  porringer,  and 
some  spoons.  Heidi  became  more  and 
more  excited  as  she  recounted  the  won- 
derful things  that  his  skilful  hand  fash- 
ioned from  a  single  piece  of  wood,  and 
how  carefully  she   had  watched   the    proc- 


WITH    THE    GRANDMOTIIKR.  I  I  I 

esses,  and  how  she  meant  to  do  all  that 
some  tinie  herself. 

To  all  this  the  grandmother  listened 
with  the  greatest  interest,  only  calling-  out 
now  and  then,  "  Brigitte,  do  you  hear 
what  the  child  tells  me  about  the  uncle?" 

Suddenly  there  was  such  a  stamping 
and  noise  at  the  door  that  the  conversa- 
tion was  interrupted,  and  Peter  burst  into 
the  room,  and  stood  stock  still  with  his  bigf 
round  eyes  wide  open  ;  but  he  made  most 
friendly  grimaces  at  Heidi  when  she  cried 
out  immediately,  "  Good-evening,  Peter." 

"Is  it  possible  that  you  are  already  let 
out  of  school  ? "  said  the  grandmother. 
"  I  have  not  known  an  afternoon  pass  so 
quickly  for  many  a  long  year.  Good- 
evening,  Peterkin.  How  goes  the  read- 
mg? 


112  HEIDI. 

"Just  the  same,"  was  the  reply. 

"  Well,  well ;  I  thought  perhaps  tha. 
there  would  be  a  little  change  by  this 
time.  You  will  be  twelve  years  come 
February,"  said  the  old  woman,  sighing  a 
little. 

"Why  should  there  be  a  change  then?" 
asked  Heidi,  full  of  interest. 

"  I  only  mean  that  perhaps  he  might 
have  learned  a  little  —  to  read,  I  mean," 
said  his  grandmother.  "  I  have  up  there 
on  the  shelf  an  old  prayer-book,  in  which 
there  are  beautiful  hymns.  I  have  not 
heard  them  this  longr  time,  and  can  no 
longer  remember  them.  So  I  hoped  when 
Peterkin  had  learned  to  read,  he  could 
sometimes  read  me  a  good  hymn  ;  but  it 
is  of  no  use,  he  can't  learn,  it  is  too  hard 
for  him." 


WITH    THE   GRANDMOTHER.  II3 

"  I  think  that  I  must  hght  the  lamp, 
mother ;  it  is  quite  dark,"  said  Brigitte, 
who  had  been  working  all  this  time  at  the 
lad's  trousers.  "The  afternoon  has  flown 
away  without  my  knowing  it." 

Heidi  sprang  up  from  her  chair  at 
this,  and  stretched  out  her  hand  to  the 
grandmother,  saying,  "Good-night;  I  must 
go  straight  home,  for  it  is  dark."  And 
she  shook  hands  with  Peter's  mother,  and 
went  towards  the  door. 

"  Wait  a  moment  ;  wait,  Heidi,"  cried 
the  grandmother  anxiously.  "  You  must 
not  go  alone.  Peterkin  must  go  with 
you ;  do  you  hear  ?  And  take  care  of 
the  child  ;  do  not  let  her  fall,  Peter ; 
and  she  must  not  stand  still,  lest  she  get 
frostbitten.     Has  she  a  thick  shawl  ?  " 

"  I   haven't  any  shawl,  but   I   shall   not 


I 


114  HEIDI. 

be  cold,"  said  Heidi  ;  and  she  was  out  of 
the  house  qiiickh',  running  on  so  nimbly 
that  Peter  could  hardly  overtake  her,  while 
the  grandmother  called  out  tremulously : 
"Run  after  her,  Brigitte ;  do  run.  1  hat 
child  will  freeze ;  so  near  night,  too ! 
Take  my  shawl  with  you,   and   run  !  " 

Brigitte  obeyed ;  but  the  children  had 
not  gone  far  up  the  mountain  when  they 
saw  the  Aim  uncle  coming  towards  them, 
and  with  a  few  prodigious  strides  he  stood 
beside  them. 

"That  is  right,  Heidi,  you  have  kept 
your  [promise,"  he  said  ;  and  taking  the 
child,  whom  he  had  wrapped  carefuky 
again  in  the  coverlet,  in  his  arms,  he 
turned  back  towards  home. 

Brigitte  went  back  with  Peter  to  their 
cottage,  to  tell  her  mother  what  thc)'  had 


\vrrii  THE  (iraxdmotiier.  115 

seen.  The  old  woman's  surprise  was 
o-reat ;  and  she  said  once  and  aofain  :  "  God 
be  praised  diat  die  Ahn  uncle  is  so  kind 
to  Heidi !  God  be  praised !  I  hope  he 
will  let  the  little  one  come  to  me  again, 
it  has  done  me  so  much  good,  \\1iat 
a  good  heart  she  has,  and  how  she  caR 
tell  about  things !  "  So  the  poor  old 
grandmother  rejoiced,  and  kept  sa)'ing, 
until  she  went  to  bed  :  "  If  only  she  can 
come  arain  !  Now  I  have  somethino-  to 
look  forward  to,  something  to  make  me 
happy."  Brigitte  agreed  with  her  mother 
heartily  each  time  ;  and  Peter  grinned  from 
ear  to  ear,  saying,  "  I  knew  as  much," 
while  he   nodded  his  head  vigorously. 

All  the  time  that  Heidi  went  up  the 
niountain  on  her  grandfather's  arm,  she 
chattered  incessantly  ;  but  as  nothing  could 


Il6  HEIDI. 

penetrate  the  covering  so  closely  folded 
about  her,  he  said  at  last,  unable  to 
distinguish  a  single  word,  "  Wait  a  little, 
until  we  reach  home,  child,  and  then 
tell  me." 

So  as  soon  as  they  reached  the  hut, 
and  Heidi  was  free  from  her  wrappings, 
she  began:  "To-morrow  we  must  take 
the  hammer  and  the  big  nails,  and  go 
down  there,  grandfather ;  for  the  shutters 
shake  so.  We  must  make  them  fast,  and 
we  must  drive  in  a  good  many  other  nails, 
too,  for  everything  shakes  terribly." 

"  Must  we,  must  we,  indeed  ?  Who 
told  you  that  ? "  asked  the  old  man. 

"  Nobody  told  me.  I  know  it  myself. 
Nothing  holds  together  there ;  and  it 
makes  the  grandmother  so  uneasy  and 
afraid,    because    she    cannot    sleep   when 


WITH   THE   GRAN'DMOTHER.  II7 

there  is  such  a  noise,  and  she  fears  that 
ever)'thing  will  fall  to  pieces  on  their 
heads.  And  oh !  no  one  can  make  it 
light  for  her  again.  She  doesn't  know 
how  any  one  can  do  it ;  but  you  can, 
grandfather.  Only  think  how  sad  it  must 
be.  always  to  sit  in  the  dark,  and  how 
sorrowful  it  is  for  her !  No  one  can  help 
her  as  you  can.  To-morrow  we  will  go 
and  help  her,  won't  we.  grandfather? 

Heidi  was  clincjinor  to  her  grandfather, 
and  looking  up  at  him  with  confident 
eyes.  He  looked  at  her  for  a  long  time 
in  silence,  then  replied:  "Yes,  Heidi, 
we  will  make  things  fast  for  the  grand- 
mother, so  that  it  will  no  longer  clatter, 
and  keep  her  awake.  We  can  do  that, 
and  to-morrow  we  will." 

The  child  danced  round  and  round  the 


Il8  HEIDI. 

room  for  joy  at  these  words,  crying  out 
"  To-morrow  we  will  go !  to-morrow,  to- 
morrow !  " 

And  the  old  man  was  as  cjood  as  his 
word.  On  the  following  afternoon  they 
took  their  sledore-ride  as  before,  Ao-ain 
he  placed  the  child  on  the  ground  before 
the  cottage  door,  saying,  "  Now  go  in, 
and  when  it  is  evening  come  out ;  "  then 
la}ing  the  sack  on  the  sledge,  he  went 
round  about  the  cottage. 

Heidi  had  scarcely  opened  the  door,  and 
stepped  into  the  room,  when  the  grand- 
mother's voice  from  the  corner  was  hcanl, 
"There  comes  the  child  !  there  is  Heidi !  " 
and  the  thread  hung  loosely  on  the  wheel, 
as  she  stretched  out  her  arms  for  joy  to 
embrace  her  little  friend. 

Pushing  a  little  stool   as  closely  to   the 


WITH    THE    GRANDMOTHER.  I  ig 

old  woman's  knees  as  possible,  Heidi 
seated  herself,  and  had  ali'ead}"  begun  nar- 
rating" and  questioning,  when  suddenly 
there  resounded  such  a  pounding  and 
bano-inp"  from  the  outside  of  the  cottage, 
that  the  grandmother  started  up  trem- 
bling, almost  overturnino-  her  wheel  in  her 
fright.  "  Oh,  heavens  !  "  she  cried,  "  now 
it  lias  come ;  now  the  cottage  is  fallino 
down  !  " 

Holding  her  fast  by  the  arm,  Heidi 
said  soothingly,  "No,  no,  grandmother! 
don't  be  afraid  ;  it  is  my  grandfather  with 
his  hanimer.  He  is  making  things  fast 
about  the  house,  so  that  you  need  not 
feel  uneasy  nor  frightened  any  more." 

"Can  that  be  true?  Is  it  possible? 
Then  die  gootl  God  has  not  forgotten  us," 
cried    the     old    woman.      "  Do    you    hear, 


1 20  HEIDI. 

Brigitte?  It  certainly  is  a  hammer.  Go 
out,  and  if  it  is  the  Aim  uncle,  beg  him 
to  come  in  for  a  moment  that  I  may 
thank  him." 

And  Brigitte  obeyed.  Just  at  that  mo- 
rnent  the  uncle  was  propping  up  an  in- 
secure place  in  the  wall.  She  went  up 
to  him,  saying:  "I  wish  you  good-even, 
uncle,  and  the  mother  greets  you  also  ; 
and  we  are  much  obliged  for  doing  us 
such  a  good  turn,  and  my  mother  would 
like  to  thank  you  herself  in  there.  Cer- 
tainly no  one  has  ever  done  us  such  a 
kindness  before,  and  we  wish  to  thank  — " 

"  You  have  said  enough,"  interrupted 
the  old  man.  "  What  )'our  opinion  of 
the  Aim  uncle  is,  I  know  well.  Go  now, 
what  more  there  is  to  be  done  here  I 
can  find  out  for  myself." 


WITH    THE   GRANDMOTHER.  12  1 

Brigitte  retreated  immediately,  for  the 
uncle  had  a  way  with  him  that  made  it 
difficult  for  any  one  to  oppose  his  will. 
He  pounded  and  hammered  on  all  sides 
of  the  little  cottao^e ;  then  climbed  the 
narrow  steps  to  the  roof,  hammering  here 
and  there  until  he  had  used  up  every  nail 
he  had  brought  with  him.  By  this  time  it 
was  quite  dark  ;  and  he  had  scarcely  come 
down  to  fetch  his  sledge  from  behind  the 
goat-shed  than  there  stood  Heidi  at  the 
door,  and  her  grandfather  took  her  on 
his  arm,  and  dragging  the  sledge  behind 
him,  up  they  went  to  their  home.  For 
had  he  drawn  her  sitting  alone  on  the 
sledge,  her  wraps  would  never  have  staid 
in  place,  and  she  would  have  been  quite 
frozen. 

And  thus  the  winter  passed.     Into  the 


122  HEIDI. 


joyless  life  of  the  blind  woman  a  ray  of 
happiness  had  come,  after  many  years  of 
sorrow,  ller  da)s  were  no  longer  dark 
and  tedious,  one  just  like  the  other ;  now 
there  was  always  something  in  prospect. 
In  the  early  morning  she  began  to  listen 
for  the  tripping  footsteps  she  loved  so 
well ;  and  when  the  little  one  came  danc- 
ing in,  she  called  out  joyfully  each  time 
as  the  door  flew  open,  "  God  be  praised, 
she  has  come  again  !  " 

On  her  little  stool  at  the  grandmother's 
feet,  Heidi  would  seat  herself,  chattering 
to  her  of  all  sorts  of  pleasant  things  ;  so 
that  she  felt  well  and  happy,  and  the  hours 
flew  by  without  lutv  asking  as  formerly, 
"  Brigitte,  is  not  the  tla)  almost  over?" 

Instead,  each  time  that  Heitli  in  depart- 
ing closed  the  door  behind  her,  she  said, 


WITH   THE   GRANDMOTHER.  I  23 

"  How  short  the  afternoon  has  been,  hasn't 
it,  Brigltte  !  " 

To  which  the  daughter  would  answer, 
"  Yes,  mother,  it  seems  to  me  as  if  I  had 
just  cleared  away  the  dishes  from  dinner." 

And  the  grandmother  added :  "  Oh,  I 
hope  the  good  God  will  keep  the  dear 
child  in  health,  and  will  preserve  the  Aim 
uncle's  good-will  !  Does  the  little  one 
look  well  and  strong  ?  " 

And  the  answer  was  always  the  same, 
"  As  strong  and  well  as  an  apple." 

Heidi  had  become  sincerely  attached  to 
the  grandmother,  and  when  the  recollec- 
tion of  the  old  woman's  blindness  came 
over  her,  and  she  thoufdit  that  no  one, 
not  even  her  grandfather,  could  restore 
the  lost  sicrht,  her  heart  was  sad  ;  but  the 
grandmother's  constant  assurance  that  she 


124  HEIDI. 

suffered  least  from  her  misfortune  when 
Heidi  was  with  her,  somewhat  consoled 
the  little  girl,  who  came  down  to  her  on 
the  sledge  every  fine  winter's  afternoon, 
to  do  what  she  could  to  lighten  her  days. 
Without  anything  more  being  said,  the 
Aim  uncle  had  each  time  taken  his  ham- 
mer and  all  the  necessary  tools  with  him 
on  the  sledge,  and  had  pounded  and 
mended,  and  put  things  in  excellent  con- 
dition on  the  outside  of  goat- Peter's  cot- 
tage. The  effect  was  most  satisfactor)^ 
It  no  longer  rattled  and  banged  the  long 
nights  through  ;  and  the  grandmother  de- 
clared that  she  had  not  had  so  comfort- 
able nights  and  such  good  sleep  for  many 
years,  and  that  she  should  never  cease  to 
be  grateful  to  the  Aim  uncle. 


A   VISIT,   AND   ANOTHER.  12? 


CHAPTER    V. 

A     VISIT,     AND     ANOTHER,     AND     THE     CONSE- 
QUENCES. 

Quickly  passed  the  winter,  and  still 
more  quickly  another  summer,  and  yet 
another  winter  approached  its  end.  Heidi 
was  as  gay  and  happy  as  the  birds  in 
the  sky,  and  rejoiced  daily  in  the  coming 
of  the  spring,  when  the  warm  south  wind 
would  again  blow  through  the  pines,  and 
sweep  away  the  snow ;  when  the  bright 
sun  would  coax  out  the  blue  and  yellow 
flowers ;  when  the  days  foi^  the  pasture 
would  come,  which  were  for  the  child  the 
most    beautiful    days    that    could    be    im- 


126  HEIDI. 

agined.  She  was  now  in  her  eighth  yeai, 
and  had  learned  all  sorts  of  useful  thino-s 
from  her  Qrrandfather.  She  could  take  care 
of  the  goats,  and  Schwanli  and  Barli  ran 
after  her  like  faithful  dogs,  and  bleated 
loud  for  joy  when  they  so  much  as  heard 
her  voice. 

Twice  during  the  winter  Peter  had 
brought  a  message  from  the  schoolmaster 
to  the  Aim  uncle,  that  he  should  send 
Heidi  to  school ;  she  was  more  than  old 
enough,  and  indeed  should  have  come 
the  winter  before.  The  answer  returned 
each  time  was  that  if  the  schoolmaster 
had  anything  to  say  to  him,  he  would 
always  be  found  on  the  Aim ;  but  there 
was  no  thouirht  in  his  mind  of  sendine 
the  child  to  school.  Peter  had  delivered 
the  message  correctly. 


A   VISIT,   AND   ANOTHER.  1 27 

Now  that  the  March  sun  began  to  melt 
the  snow  eveiywhere,  and  the  white  snow- 
drops peeped  up  in  the  valley,  and  on 
the  Aim  the  pines  had  shaken  off  their 
burden,  and  the  boughs  waved  merrily 
in  the  wind  once  more,  Heidi  began  to 
scamper  back  and  forth  with  delight,  from 
the  house  to  the  stalls,  then  to  the  pines, 
and  again  into  the  hut  to  tell  her  grand- 
father how  much  larger  the  strip  of 
green  had  become  under  the  trees ;  for 
she  coidd  not  wait,  in  her  impatience,  for 
the  summer  to  cover  the  mountain  with 
grass  and  flowers.  One  sunny  morning, 
as  the  child  was  running-  about,  and  had 
just  bounded  for  the  tenth  time  over  the 
threshold,  she  almost  fell  backwards  for 
fright,  for  before  her  stood  an  old  man 
all  in  black,  who  gazed  at  her  earnestly. 


/28  HEIDI. 

Seeing  her  fear,  however,  he  said  in  a 
kindly  tone  :  "  You  must  not  be  afraid  of 
me,  for  I  love  children  very  much.  Give 
me  your  hand.  You  must  be  Heidi. 
Where  is  your  grandfather  ?  " 

"  He  is  sitting  at  the  table,  cutting 
round  spoons  out  of  wood,"  explained 
the  child,  and  opened  wider  the  door. 

It  was  the  good  pastor  from  Dorfli, 
who  had  known  the  uncle  long  ago, 
when  he  lived  down  below,  and  they  had 
been  neighbors.  He  now  went  into  the 
hut,  approached  the  old  man,  who  was 
stooping  over  his  work,  and  said,  "  Good- 
morning,  neighbor !  " 

The  latter  looked  up  in  surprise,  and 
rising  said,  "Good-morning,  pastor!"  and 
immediately  placed  his  own  chair  for  the 
guest,    adding,    "  If   the    pastor   does    not 


A   VISIT,   AND   ANOTHER.  I29 

object  to  a  wooden  seat,  here  is  one 
for  him." 

"  It  is  a  long  time  since  I  saw  you, 
neighbor,"  said  the  pastor. 

"Yes;  it  is  a  long  while  since  we  met," 
replied  the  Aim  uncle. 

"  I  came  here  to-day  to  speak  to  you 
about  something,"  began  the  pastor  afresh. 
''  I  think  that  you  already  surmise  what  1 
allude  to,  what  I  wish  to  talk  over  with 
you,  and  learn  your  intention  about." 

The  good  man  stopped,  and  looked 
towards  Heidi,  who  was  now  standing 
in  the  doorway,  examining  him  with  atten- 
tion. 

"  You  may  go  to  the  goats,  Heidi," 
said  her  grandfather.  "  Take  a  little  salt 
with  you,   and  stay  until   I   come." 

Heidi  disappeared  at  once. 


130  HEIDI. 

"  That  child  ought  to  have  gone  to 
school  this  year,  if  not  a  year  ago,"  said 
the  pastor.  "The  teacher  sent  you  word 
to  that  effect,  and  you  have  not  replied. 
What  do  you  mean  to  do  about  it, 
neighbor  ?  " 

"  I  mean  not  to  send  her  to  school," 
was  the  reply. 

The  pastor  stared  in  astonishment  at 
the  old  man,  who  sat  with  folded  arms 
upon  his  bench,  and  certainly  did  not 
look  like  yielding. 

"What  do  you  mean  to  do  for  the 
child?"  he  asked  again. 

"  Nothing.  She  grows  and  thrives  with 
the  goats  and  birds.  With  them  she  can 
learn  no  evil ;    she  is  safe." 

"  But  she  is  not  a  cfoat,  nor  is  she 
a   bird ;    she    is   a   human    child.      If   she 


A    VISIT,    AND    ANOTHER.  I3I 

learns  nothing  evil  from  such  company, 
she  learns,  on  the  other  hand,  nothing  at 
all.  But  she  should  learn  ;  and  it  is  high 
time,  too,  that  she  began.  I  have  come  ' 
to  warn  you,  neighbor,  so  that  you  can 
be  thinking  it  over,  and  making  your 
arrangements,  during  the  summer.  This 
must  be  the  last  season  that  the  child 
passes  thus,  without  instruction.  Next 
winter  she  must  begin  to  go  to  school, 
and  go  ever)'  day." 

"  I  shall  not  do  it,"  replied  the  other, 
unmoved. 

"  Do  }'Ou  mean  to  say  that  there  is  no 
way  of  bringing  you  to  your  senses  ? 
How  can  you  be  so  obstinate  in  your 
foolishness  ? "  said  the  pastor,  now  getting 
roused,  "  You  have  been  about  a  great 
deal,    and    must    have    learned    much ;    I 


132  HEIDI. 

thought  that   you  had  more  wisdom  than 
this,  neighbor," 

"Well,"  replied  the  old  man,  and  his 
voice  betrayed  that  he  was  no  longer 
quite  tranquil,  "  and  does  the  pastor 
think  that  it  really  would  be  a  wise 
thing  for  me  to  send  such  a  tender  child 
as  this  down  the  mountain  every  day 
next  winter,  in  snow  and  wind,  a  two 
hours'  journey?  to  say  nothing  of  her 
coming  up  again  every  evening,  when 
we  ourselves  can  scarcely  brave  it  ?  Per- 
haps the  pastor  remembers  the  child's 
mother,  Adelheid.  She  was  delicate,  and 
had  nervous  attacks.  Shall  I  let  this  child 
also  become  ill  through  over-exertion  ? 
Just  let  some  one  try  to  force  me  ;  I  will 
go  with  him  before  the  judge,  to  see  if  I 
can  be  forced." 


A   VISIT,   AND   ANOTHER.  1 33 

**  You  are  right,  neighbor,"  repHed  the 
pastor,  in  a  friendly  tone  ;  "it  would  not 
be  possible  to  send  the  little  one  down  to 
school  from  here.  But  I  can  see  that  you 
are  fond  of  her ;  so  do  something  for 
her  sake  that  you  should  have  done  long 
aoo,  come  down  into  the  villaofe,  and  live 
acrain  amongfst  us  there.  What  sort  of 
life  is  this  that  you  lead  up  here,  in  bit- 
terness with  God  and  man  ?  If  anything 
should  happen  to  you  here  in  the  winter, 
how  could  any  help  reach  you  ?  I  cannot 
even  understand  how  you  can  manage  to 
get  through  the  winter,  with  this  tender 
child,  without  freezing." 

"The  child  has  young  blood  and  good 
clothing,  this  much  I  can  tell  you  ;  and 
this  too,  that  I  know  where  to  get  wood, 
and  the  best  time  to  fetch  it.     If  the  pas- 


134  HEIDI. 

tor  pleases,  he  can  look  into  my  shed; 
there  is  plenty  of  fuel  there  ;  in  my  hearth 
the  fire  never  goes  out  all  winter  long. 
What  the  pastor  proposes  about  moving 
down  into  the  village,  that  will  not  suit 
me.  The  people  down  there  despise  me, 
and  I  them.  We  must  remain  apart ;  so 
is  it  best  for  all." 

"  No,  no,  it  is  not  good  for  you  !  I  know 
what  is  lacking  with  you,  though,"  said 
the  pastor  earnestly.  "  As  for  the  con- 
tempt of  the  village  people,  what  does  that 
amount  to  ?  Believe  me,  neighbor,  seek 
to  make  your  peace  with  God.  ask  his  for- 
giveness in  whatever  way  )Ou  need  it,  and 
then  come  and  see  how  differently  men 
will  regard  you,  and  how  pleasant  it  will  be 
for  you." 

The  good  man  now  stood  up.     He  held 


A   VISIT,   AND   ANOTHER.  1 35 

out  his  hand  to  the  Aim  uncle,  and  con- 
tinued cordially :  "I  shall  count  upon  it 
for  next  winter  to  have  you  again  amongst 
us.  We  are  good  old  neighbors,  and  it 
would  be  very  disagreeable  to  me  to  have 
any  force  used  towards  you  ;  so  give  me 
your  hand  upon  it,  that  you  will  come 
back  and  live  with  us  again,  at  peace 
with  God  and  man." 

The  Aim  uncle  gave  his  hand  to  the 
pastor,  but  said  also  decidedly:  "I  know 
that  the  pastor  feels  kindly  to  me,  but  I 
shall  not  do  as  he  wishes.  I  say  it  plainly, 
without  circumlocution.  I  shall  neither 
send  the  child  to  school,  nor  come  my- 
self." 

"  So  may  God  help  you!"  said  the  pastor 
sadly,  and  passed  out  of  the  door  and 
down  the  mountain. 


136  HEIDI. 

The  old  man  was  out  of  hun.'.Y,  and 
when  Heidi  said,  "  Now  shall  we  o  ,  to  the 
grandmother  ? "  he  answered,  "  Not  to- 
day," and  did  not  speak  again  th  it  whole 
day  long;  and  the  next  morning,  when 
the  child  said,  "To-day  shall  \vi  go  to 
the  grandmother  ?  "  he  was  very  short  with 
her  in  word  and  tone,  only  answtfing. 
"We'll  see." 

But  before  there  was  time  to  clear  the 
table  after  dinner  came  another  visitor. 
It  was  no  other  than  Dete.  She  had  a 
fine  hat  with  a  feather,  and  a  dress  that 
swept  up  everything  in  its  path  ;  and  in 
the  mountain  cottage  all  sorts  of  things 
lay  on  the  floor  that  might  have  soiled  a 
nice  dress.  The  uncle  looked  at  Ik  r  from 
head  to  foot,  but  did   not  speak. 

Dete,    however,    had    the    intention    of 


A   VISIT,   AND   ANOTHER.  I37 

making  herself  very  agreeable,  and  began 
at  once  to  praise  what  she  saw;  saying  that 
Heidi  looked  wonderfully  well,  that  she 
should  hardly  have  recognized  the  child, 
that  it  was  plain  that  the  grandfather  had 
cared  well  for  her.  She  declared  that  she 
had  always  meant  to  take  the  child  back 
again,  for  she  fully  understood  that  it  must 
be  very  inconvenient  for  him  to  have  the 
charge  of  her ;  but  that  there  had  never 
been  a  time,  day  or  night,  when  she  had 
been  able  to  come  for  her,  or  even  to  bring 
her  anything,  and  that  to-day  she  came 
because  she  had  just  heard  of  something 
that  might  be  of  such  advantage  to  Heidi 
that  she  herself  could  scarcely  believe  it 
possible.  She  had  looked  well  into  it  at 
once,  and  now  she  could  safely  say  that 
such  a  piece  of  luck  rarely  happens  once 


13S  HEIDI. 

in  -J  thousand  times  to  any  one.  Very  rich 
relations  of  the  famil)'  with  whom  she 
hved,  who  owned  ahnor.t  the  handsomest 
house  in  Frankfort,  had  only  one  daughter, 
who  was  ill,  and  obliged  to  remain  all  the 
time  in  a  rolling-chair,  because  she  was 
parrvlyzed  on  one  side.  This  girl  was  al- 
most always  alone,  and  had  to  study  alone 
with  her  teachers,  which  was  tedious  for 
her.  It  was  thought  desirable  to  find  a 
companion  for  her,  to  live  in  the  house. 
Dete  had  learned  all  this,  she  said,  from 
the  family  with  whom  she  lived,  and  they 
wanted  to  find  a  child ;  and  when  Dete 
heard  the  description  of  what  the)'  wanted, 
which  the  housekeeper  said  must  be  a  per- 
fectly unspoiled  little  girl,  unlike  all  other 
children,  she  thought  at  oiw:e  of  Heidi ; 
and   she  went   to   the   lady,   and   told   her 


A   VISIT,   AND   ANOTHER.  1 39 

about  her  little  niece,  and  CTave  such  a 
good  character  for  the  child  that  the  lady 
agreed  at  once  that  she  was  just  what  she 
wished  for. 

Nobody  could  realize,  said  Dete,  what 
was  in  store  for  Heidi.  Such  luck !  such 
comfort !  And  when  she  once  came  to 
live  with  these  people,  she  would  have 
everything  that  the  daughter  had  ;  and 
no  one  could  tell,  the  daughter  was  so 
delicate  —  if  the  family  should  be  left 
without  a  child,  what  wonderful  piece  of 
luck  — 

"Have  you  almost  finished?"  said  the 
grandfather,  who  thus  far  had  not  spoken 
a  word. 

"  Pah !  "  said  Dete.  and  threw  back  her 
head.  "  You  behave  exactly  as  if  I  had 
brought    you     a    commonplace    piece    of 


140  HEIDI. 

news ;  and  there  is  not  in  all  Prattigau 
a  single  person  who  would  not  have 
thanked  God  for  such  tidings  as  I  have 
just  given  you." 

"Take  them,  then,  where  you  choose. 
I'll  have  none  of  them,"  said  the  old  man 
dryly. 

At  these  words,  off  went  Dete's  tongue 
like  a  sky-rocket. 

"Well,  if  such  is  your  opinion,  I  will 
tell  you  then,  uncle,  what  I  think.  This 
child  is  now  eight  years  old,  and  knows 
nothing,  and  can  do  nothing ;  and  you 
will  not  let  her  learn,  nor  send  her  to 
school,  nor  to  church.  They  told  me, 
down  in  Dorfii.  She  is  my  only  sister's 
child,  and  I  must  be  responsible  for  her, 
and  what  happens  to  her ;  and  when  such 
a  chance  falls  to  a  child's  share  as  this, 


A   VISIT,   AND   ANOTHER.  I4I 

there  can  be  but  one  opinion  about  it ; 
for  no  one  has  any  particular  interest  in 
her,  and  no  one  feels  disposed  to  do  any- 
thing for  her.  I  will  not  yield,  that  I  tell 
you  plainly,  for  I  have  everybody  on  my 
side ;  and  there  is  not  one  single  person 
down  in  Dorfli  who  will  not  help  me 
against  you.  And  if  you  wish  to  come 
before  the  court,  though  you'd  better  think 
twice  of  that,  there  are  things  that  can  be 
brought  up  against  you  that  you  will  not 
care  to  hear ;  for  when  once  an  affair  is 
brought  before  a  court,  much  is  raked  up 
that  has  almost  been  forgotten." 

"  Hold  your  tongue !  "  thundered  the 
old  man,  and  his  eyes  flashed  fire.  "Take 
the  child,  and  ruin  her ;  but  never  let 
me  sec  her  with  such  a  hat  and  feather 
on  her  head,  and  such  words  in  her  mouth 


142  HEIDI. 

as    you    have    used    to-day."      And   with 
great  strides  he  went  out  of  the  house. 

"You  have  made  my  grandfather  angry," 
said  Heidi,  her  sparkHng  eyes  showing  an 
expression  that  was  far  from  friendly  to- 
wards Dete. 

"  Oh,  he  will  soon  be  all  right  again. 
Come  along,  now  Where  are  your 
clothes,  child  ? " 

"  I  am  not  going,"  said  Heidi. 

"What  did  you  say?"  said  Dete.  Then 
changing  her  tone  a  little,  she  continued, 
half  In  friendly,  half  in  angry  fashion, 
"  Come,  come ,  you  do  not  know  what 
you  are  talking  about.  It  will  be  far 
pleasanter  for  you  there  than  you  have 
the  least  idea  of." 

Then  going  to  the  press,  Dete  took 
out  Heidi's   things,  and   packed   them  to- 


A   VISIT,   AND   ANOTHER.  1 43 

gether.  *'  Come,  now ,  get  your  hat.  It 
does  not  look  very  nicely,  I  must  say ; 
but  it  will  pass,  for  the  present.  Put  it 
on,  and  let  us  get  ofif." 

"  I  am  not  going,"  repeated   Heidi. 

"  Do  not  be  stupid  and  obstinate,  like 
a  goat.  You  must  have  learned  it  of 
them.  Think  a  little,  child  ;  your  grand- 
father is  angry,  you  saw  that  )Ourself 
You  heard  him  tell  us  not  to  come  be- 
fore his  eyes  again.  He  is  quite  deter 
mined  that  vou  shall  cfo  with  me  Do 
not  anger  him  still  more  You  have  no 
idea  how  delightful  it  is  in  Frankfort, 
nor  what  you  will  see  there  ,  and  if  you 
don't  like  it,  you  can  come  back  here 
again,  and  by  that  time  )'our  grandfather 
will  have  recovered  his  temper " 

"  Can    I    turn    ricrht    about,    and    come 
home  this  evening  ?  " 


144  HEIDI. 

"What?  Come  alonor.  now.  Did  I  not 
tell  you  that  you  could  come  back  when- 
ever you  wished  ?  To-day  we  go  as  fai 
as  Mayenfeld,  and  early  to-morrow  morn- 
ing we  take  our  places  in  the  railway , 
and  in  that  you  can  come  back  here  in 
a  twinkling.     It  is  like  flying," 

Aunt  Dete  had  taken  the  little  girl's 
hand  in  hers ,  and  with  the  bundle  on 
her  arm,  they  went  down  the  mountain- 
side together. 

As  it  w^as  not  yet  quite  time  to  take 
the  goats  to  pasture,  Peter  still  went  to 
school  in  Dorfli  ;  or  rather,  should  have 
gone,  but  he  now  and  then  took  a  holi- 
day. For  he  thought-  "It  is  not  of  the 
least  use  for  me  to  go  to  school,  I  can- 
not learn  to  read ,  and  to  go  about  a 
little,  searching   for  big   sticks,  is  of  use, 


A   VISIT,    AND   ANOTHER.  1 45 

for  they  can  be  burned."  So  it  happened 
that  he  was  in  the  neighborhood  of  his 
cottage,  with  most  unmistakable  evidence 
of  his  day's  occupation  on  his  shoulder ; 
for  he  carried  an  enormous  bundle  of 
sticks  of  hazel-wood.  He  stood  still,  and 
stared  at  the  pair  as  they  came  towards 
him.  When  they  drew  near,  he  said, 
*'  Where  are  you  going  ?  " 

"  I  must  go  straight  to  Frankfort  with 
Aunt  Dete,"  said  Heidi ;  "  but  first  I  will 
run  in  to  see  the  grandmother." 

"  No,  no !  No  stopping  to  talk ;  it  i«* 
already  too  late ! "  said  Dete  anxiously, 
and  held  the  child,  who  was  already  has- 
tening away,  fast  by  the  hand.  "  You  can 
come  back  again  to  see  her  soon ;  but 
now  come  with  me."  And  she  drew 
Heidi  quickly  along,  and  did  not  release 


146  HEIDI 

her  again.  She  was  afraid  that  it  mirht 
again  come  into  the  child's  head  not  to 
go  with  her,  and  that  the  grandmother 
might  also  induce  her  to  remain. 

Into  his  cottage  went  Peter  at  one 
leap,  and  flung  his  whole  bundle  of  sticks 
down  on  the  table  with  such  violence  that 
everything  quivered,  and  his  grandmother 
started  from  her  spinning,  and  cried  aloud. 
Peter  had  to  give  vent  to  his  feelings. 

"What  is  the  matter?  What  has  hap- 
pened ? "  asked  the  old  woman.  And  his 
mother,  who  had  been  sitting  quietly  at 
the  table,  almost  flew  into  the  air  at  the 
noise,  crying:  "What  is  it,  Peterkin  ? 
Why  are  you  so  wild  ? " 

"  Because  she  has  taken  Heidi  away 
with  her,"  exclaimed  Peter. 

"  Who  ?  who  ?     Where,  Peterkin  ?  "  cried 


A   VISIT,   AND   ANOTHER.  1 47 

the  grandmother.  She  must  have  soon 
guessed  what  had  happened,  however,  for 
Brigitte  had  told  her,  a  Httle  while  before, 
that  she  had  seen  Dete  going  up  the 
mountain  to  the  Aim  uncle's.  Trem- 
bling all  over  with  haste,  the  old  woman 
opened  the  window,  and  called  beseech- 
ingly, "  Dete,  Dete !  do  not  take  the  child 
away!     Do  not  carry  Heidi  off!" 

The  fugitives  were  still  within  sound  of 
her  voice ;  and  Dete  must  have  heard 
perfectly  what  she  said,  for  she  held  the 
child  faster,  and  increased  her  speed  to  a 
run.  Heidi  resisted,  saying,  "The  grand- 
mother is  calling  me,  I   must  go." 

Now  Dete  forced  Heidi  along,  lest  they 
should  not  be  in  time  to  take  the  train 
for  Frankfort,  she  said ;  and  once  there, 
Heidi  would    not  want    to    return,  but    if 


148  HEIDI. 

she  did,  there  might  be  something  to 
bring  to  the  grandmother  that  the  old 
woman  would  like. 

This  idea  pleased  the  little  one,  and  she 
began  to  run  of  her  own  accord. 

"What  can  I  bring  the  grandmother?" 
she  asked,  after  a  while. 

"  Something  good,"  said  Dete.  "  Some 
beautiful,  soft,  white  bread ;  for  she  can 
scarcely  eat  the  hard,  black  bread.  That 
would  be  nice  for  her." 

"  Yes,  ye^:.  She  always  gives  it  to 
Peter,  and  says  it  is  too  hard  for  her.  I 
have  often  seen  her  do  that.  Let  us  go 
quick,  Aunt  Dete ;  and  perhaps  we  can 
get  to  Frankfort  to-day,  so  that  I  can 
come  back  at  once  with  the  white  bread." 
And  now  it  was  Heidi  who  urged  her 
aunt  along,  and  ran  so  quickly  that  Dete 


A   VISIT,   AND   ANOTHER.  1 49 

with  the  bundle  found  it  hard  to  follow. 
But  she  was  glad  to  hasten  along,  for  they 
were  near  to  the  first  houses  in  Dorfli, 
and  there  might  begin  a  new  set  of 
questions  and  remonstrances,  that  would 
bring  Heidi  again  to  another  mind. 

Through  the  village  they  raced  along, 
therefore,  and  the  child  dragged  her  aunt 
by  the  hand  ;  and  Dete  reflected  with  sat- 
isfaction that  everybody  might  see  that 
she  was  hurrying  along  in  this  way  for 
the  child's  sake.  So  she  called  to  all  who 
would  stop  her,  from  the  houses:  "You 
see.  I  can't  possibly  stop,  Heidi  is  in  such 
a  hurry ;    and  we  have  still  far  to  go." 

"  Are  you  taking  her  with  you  ?  "  "  Are 
you  running  away  from  the  Aim  uncle  ? " 
*'  It  is  a  miracle  that  the  child  is  living  !  " 
"  And    so   rosy-cheeked    too ! "     Such    re- 


150  HEIDI. 

marks  reached  her  from  all  sides ;  and 
she  was  glad  to  get  off  without  hinder- 
ance,  and  that  she  was  not  obliged  to 
give  explanations ;  also,  that  Heidi  spoke 
not  a  word,  but  urged  forward  in  the 
greatest  haste. 

From  this  day  forward  the  Aim  uncle 
looked  more  and  more  wicked;  and  when 
he  chanced  to  be  in  Dorfli  he  spoke  to 
no  one,  and  looked  so  repulsive  that 
the  women  said  to  the  litde  children, 
"  Take  care,  get  out  of  his  way.  or  the 
Aim  uncle  will  harm  you."  The  old  man 
held  no  intercourse  with  any  one  in  Dorfli, 
but  went  through  the  little  town  and  deep 
down  into  the  valley,  where  he  exchanged 
his  goat  cheese  for  provisions  of  bread  and 
meat.  When  he  passed  through  Dorfli, 
the    people    gathered    together    in    little 


A   VISIT,   AND   ANOTHER.  I5I 

groups  behind  his  back,  and  each  one  had 
something  strange  to  tell  about  the  old 
man,  how  he  looked  wilder  and  wilder, 
and  how  he  never  even  exchanged  a  greet- 
ing with  anybody ;  and  all  agreed  it  was 
very  fortunate  that  the  child  had  escaped, 
for  it  was  easy  to  see  that  the  little  one 
ran  as  if  afraid  that  her  grandfather  were 
pursuing  her  to  carry  her  back. 

Only  the  blind  grandmother  stood  up 
for  him  always  ;  and  whoever  came  to  her 
cottage  to  bring  her  stuff  to  spin,  or  to 
take  away  something  that  she  had  done 
for  them,  to  such  she  always  repeated  how 
good  and  careful  the  Aim  uncle  had  been 
with  the  child,  and  how  he  had  worked  on 
her  cottage  for  many  an  afternoon,  and 
had  mended  it,  and  made  it  safe,  or  it 
would  certainly  have  fallen  in  pieces  long 


152  HEIDI.  \^ 

ago.  And  this  information  had  come  also 
down  to  Dorfli ;  but  most  of  those  wlio 
heard  it  said  that  the  orrandmother  was 
too  old  to  understand  rightly,  for  she 
probably  did  not  hear  very  well  just  as 
she  could  no  longer  see.  At  any  rate,  the 
Aim  uncle  never  appeared  again  at  the 
goatherd's  cottage ;  but  it  was  true  that 
he  had  mended  it  very  thoroughly,  for  it 
held  together  for  a  long  time,  and  was 
perfectly  safe. 

The  days  came  again  to  be  days  of 
sighing  for  the  old  grandmother ;  and  not 
one  passed  upon  which  she  did  not  say 
mournfully:  "All  that  is  good,  and  all 
that  is  pleasant,  has  gone  with  the  little 
one,  and  the  days  are  empty.  Oh,  if  I 
might  only  be  permitted  to  hear  Heidi's 
voice  once  more  before  I  die ! " 


A   NEW   CHAPTER-  1 53 


CHAPTER  VI. 

A    NEW    CHAPTER,    AND    ALTOGETHER    NEW 
THINGS. 

In  the  house  of  Mr.  Sesemann,  in  Frank 
fort,  lay  his  Httle  sick  daughter,  in  the 
comfortable  armchair  in  which  she  re- 
clined all  day,  and  was  rolled  from  one 
room  to  another.  She  was  in  the  so- 
called  study,  which  adjoined  the  big  dining- 
room,  and  in  which  all  sorts  of  pretty 
things  were  arranged  and  disposed  in  such 
a  way  as  to  make  it  look  attractive,  and 
prove  that  it  was  the  place  where  the 
family  usually  lived.  A  large,  handsome 
bookcase  with  glass  doors  showed  whence 


I  5  4  HETDT. 

the  room  derived  its  name,  and  here  the 
lame  daughter  of  the  house  had  her  daily 
lessons. 

Klara  had  a  small,  pale  face,  out  of 
which  looked  two  gentle  blue  eyes,  which 
were  fixed  at  this  moment  on  the  face  of 
the  large  wall-clock,  whose  hands  seemed 
to-day,  especially,  to  move  slowly ;  for 
Klara,  who  was  seldom  impatient,  was 
certainly  so  now,  and  said,  with  decided 
symptoms  of  irritation  in  her  voice,  "  Will 
the  time  never  come.  Miss  Rottenmeier  ?  " 

The  lady  so  addressed  sat  bolt  upright 
by  a  little  work-table,  embroidering.  She 
wore  a  mysterious  kind  of  wrap,  half 
collar,  half  mantle,  which  invested  her  per- 
son with  a  majestic  appearance,  height- 
ened by  a  kind  of  built-up  cupola  upon 
her  head. 


A   NEW  CHAPTER.  I  55 

Miss  Rottf;  nmeier  had  lived  in  the  house 
ever  since  t\e  death  of  Mrs.  Sesemann. 
She  directed  the  housekeeping,  and  had 
the  management  of  the  servants.  As  the 
master  of  ihe  house  was  almost  always 
^iway  travelling,  he  gave  up  the  entire  care 
-of  everything  to  this  lady,  with  the  under- 
standing, however,  that  his  daughter  should 
he  consulted,  and  that  nothing  should  be 
done  contrary  to  her  wishes. 

As  Klara  asked  for  the  second  time,  with 
every  sign  of  impatience,  if  it  was  not 
getting  late  for  the  arrival  of  those  whom 
they  were  expecting,  Dete,  with  Heidi's 
hand  in  hers,  stood  below  before  the  house 
door,  and  asked  of  John  the  coachman, 
who  had  just  driven  up  with  the  carriage, 
if  it  was  too  late  to  venture  to  disturb 
Miss  Rottenmeier. 


156  HEIDI. 

"  That  is  no  affair  of  mine,"  said  John 
gruffly.  "  Go  into  the  hall,  and  ring  for 
Sebastian." 

Dete  did  so ;  and  the  house-servant 
came  down-stairs,  with  big  round  buttons 
on  his  coat,  and  almost  as  big  eyes  in 
his  head. 

*'  I  should  like  to  inquire  if  at  this  hour 
I  might  venture  to  disturb  Miss  Rotten- 
meier,"  launched  forth  Dete  again. 

"  That  is  not  my  business.  Ring  for 
Miss  Tinette.  That  is  her  bell  over  there." 
And  without  other  information  Sebastian 
disappeared. 

So  Dete  rang  again  ;  and  presently  Miss 
Tinette  made  her  appearance  on  the  stairs, 
with  a  dazzling  little  white  cap  on  the 
top  of  her  head,  and  a  very  mocking 
expression  on  her  face. 


A    NEW   CHAPTLR.  I  57 

"  What  is  wanted  ? "  said  she  from  the 
top  step,  without  coming  down. 

Dete  repeated  her  demand. 

Miss  Tinette  disappeared,  but  came 
quickly  back  again,  saying,  "  You  are  ex~ 
pected." 

They  now  mounted  the  stairs,  following 
Tinette,  Dete  still  holding  Heidi  by  the 
hand,  and  entered  the  study.  Dete  stood 
politely  near  the  door,  but  never  letting 
go  of  Heidi  ;  for  she  did  not  know  what 
the  child  might  do  in  this  strange  place. 

Miss  Rottenmeier  rose  slowly  from  her 
seat,  and  came  nearer,  to  examine  the 
newly  arrived  playmate  of  the  daughter 
of  the  house.  The  sight  did  not  seem 
to  please  her.  Heidi  had  on  her  simple 
woollen  dress,  and  her  old  and  defaced 
straw  hat  was   on    her   head.     The    child 


158  HEIDI. 

looked  in  the  most  innocent  way  round 
about  her,  and  examined  the  turret  on 
the  lady's  head  with  astonishment. 

"  What  is  your  name  ? "  asked  Miss 
Rottenmeier,  after  she  had  looked  at  the 
child  searchingly  for  several  minutes,  dur- 
ing which  Heidi  had  never  dropped  her 
eyes. 

"  Heidi,"  was  the  answer,  given  dis- 
tinctly, in  a  clear,  ringing  tone. 

"What?  That  is  certainly  no  Chris- 
tian name.  You  were  not  baptized  by 
that  name.  What  name  was  given  you 
at  your  baptism  ? "  asked  the  lady. 

"  I  don't  know  that  now." 

"Is  that  a  proper  reply?"  said  the 
housekeeper,  slowly  shaking  her  head. 
"  Is  the  child  simple,  or  pert,  Miss 
Dete  ? " 


A    NEW   CHAPTER.  1 59 

"  If  the  lady  will  allow  me,  and  with 
her  consent,  I  will  reply  for  the  child, 
for  she  is  very  inexperienced,"  said  Dete, 
while  she  gave  her  niece  secretly  a  push, 
for  her  inappropriate  answer.  "  She  is 
certainly  not  simple,  nor  is  she  imperti- 
nent, of  that  she  knows  nothing ;  she 
means  everything  just  as  she  says  it.  To- 
day is  her  first  appearance  in  the  presence 
of  gentle-folk,  and  she  has  no  knowledge 
of  good  manners  ;  but  she  is  a  docile  child, 
and  willing  to  learn,  if  the  lady  will  teach 
her,  and  show  her  what  to  do.  Her  name 
at  baptism  is  Adelheid,  for  her  mother, 
my  late  sister." 

"Good,  now!  That  is  something  like 
d  name,  that  one  can  say,"  replied  Miss 
Rottenmeier;  but  added:  "Miss  Dete, 
I   must  say  to  you   that   the  child  strikes 


l6o  HEIDI. 

me  as  very  strange,  considering  her  age 
I  had  informed  you  diat  the  companion 
needed  for  Miss  Klara  should  be  about 
the  same  age  as  she  is,  in  order  to  follow 
her  lessons,  and  share  the  same  general 
occupations.  Miss  Klara  has  passed  her 
twelfth  year.  How  old  may  this  child 
be?" 

"  With  your  leave,  madam,"  began 
Dete  again,  "  I  am  not  exactly  sure 
about  the  age,  how  old  she  is.  She 
is  really  somewhat  younger  than  that ; 
not  much,  however.  I  cannot  say  with 
precision  —  perhaps  in  her  tenth  year,  or 
thereabout,  as  I  believe." 

"  I  am  just  eight  years  old.  My  grand- 
father told  me  so,"  said   Heidi. 

"  What  do  you  say,  only  eight  years 
old  ?    Four  years  too  young !    What  does 


A   NEW   CHAPTER.  l6l 

this  mean  ?  And  what  have  you  learned  ? 
What  books  have  you  studied  ? "  broke 
forth  Miss  Rottenmeier. 

"  None,"  was  the  answer. 

*'  What  ?  How  then  have  you  learned 
to  read,  child  ?  " 

"  I  have  not  learned  to  read,  nor  Peter 
either." 

"  Merciful  heavens !  you  cannot  read, 
cannot  really  read  at  all?"  cried  Miss 
Rottenmeier  in  great  surprise.  "Then 
what  have  you  learned  ?  " 

"  Nothing-,"  replied  Heidi  truthfully. 

"  Miss  Dete,"  said  the  housekeeper  after 
a  pause,  in  which  she  strove  to  regain  her 
composure,  "  I  find  nothing  here  that 
accords  with  our  agreement.  How  could 
you  bring  me  such  a  creature  ?  " 

Dete,  however,  had  no  idea  of  allowing 


1 62  HEIDI. 

herself  to  be  frightened  off  in  this  wise 
She  repHed  with  confidence:  "  If  the  lady 
v.'ill  pardon  me,  the  child  exacdy  agrees 
with  what  is  wanted.  The  lady  told  me 
that  she  sought  for  some  child  utterly  un- 
like any  other  children  ;  and  I  chose  this 
little  one,  for  bigger  children  are  no  longer 
so  simple  and  truthful,  and  she  seemed  to 
me  to  answer  the  description  as  if  made  to 
order.  But  now  I  must  be  going,  for  my 
employers  expect  me.  I  will  come  again 
as  soon  as  they  can  spare  me,  and  in- 
quire how  it  is  with  her." 

With  a  courtesy  Dete  was  away,  out  of 
the  door  and  down  the  stairs  very  quickly. 
Miss  Rottenmeier  stood  still  a  moment, 
then  ran  after  Dete,  for  it  occurred  to  her 
that  there  were  many  things  still  of  which 
she   must   speak,   if  the  child  were   to   re- 


A   NEW   CHAPTER.  1 63 

main ;    and    she    plainly    saw    that    Dete's 
intention  was  to  lea\e  her  with  them. 

Heidi  stood  still  in  the  same  place  by 
the  door.  Klara  had  until  now  remained  a 
passive  observer  in  her  chair,  and  noticed 
all  that  took  place  without  interfering. 
Now  she  beckoned  to  Heidi :  "  Come  here 
to  me." 

Heidi  approached  the  rolling-chair. 

"  Do  you  prefer  to  be  called  Heidi  rather 
than  Adelheid  ?  " 

"  My  name  is  Heidi,  and  nothing  else," 
said  the  child. 

''  Then  I  will  alwa)s  call  you  so.  The 
name  pleases  me  for  you.  I  never  heard 
it  before,  and  I  have  never  seen  a  child 
like  )'ou.  Have  you  always  had  such  short 
curly  hair  ? " 

**  Yes,  I  think  so." 


1 64  HEIDI.  . 

"Were  you  glad  to  come  to  Frankfort?" 
pursued  the  older  child.  ^ 

"  No ;  but  to-morrow  I  am  going  home  I 

again,    to    carry    the    grandmother    some  \ 

white  rolls,"  said  Heidi. 

"  Well,  you  are  a  strange  child,"  replied  | 

Klara.     "  You  have  been  sent  for  expressly  ] 

to  Frankfort  to  take  lessons  with  me,  and  ^ 

now  it  turns  out  that  you  cannot  read.  It 
will  be  great  fun  for  me,  now  there  will  be 
something  new  during  the  lessons.  It  has 
always    been    so    dreadfully    tedious ;    the  ; 

mornings    seem    to    have    no    end.     Just  1 

think !  every  morning  at  ten  o'clock  the 
professor  comes,  and  then  the  lessons 
begin,  and  continue  until  two  o'clock. 
That    is    so    long !      Often    the    professor  j 

holds  his  book  before  his  face  quite  near,  I 

as  if  he  were  suddenly  near-sighted  ;  but  it  ' 


A   NEW   CHAPTER.  1 65 

is  really  to  yawn.  He  yawns  frightfully; 
and  Miss  Rottenmeier  also  takes  out  her 
handkerchief,  and  holds  it  over  her  whole 
face,  as  if  she  is  ver}^  much  amused  at 
something  that  we  are  reading ;  but  I 
know  well  enough  that  she  too  is  yawning 
horribly  behind  it.  And  then  I  should 
like  to  yawn  too  ;  but  I  have  to  smother 
it,  for  if  I  once  yawned  outright,  Miss 
Rottenmeier  would  say  that  I  was  weak, 
and  would  fetch  the  cod-liver  oil  at  once ; 
and  of  all  things  I  hate  to  take  that  stuff, 
so  1  much  prefer  to  swallow  my  yawns. 
But  now  that  you  are  here,  it  will  be 
much  pleasanter,  for  I  can  listen  while 
you  learn  to  read." 

Heidi  shook  her  head  very  thoughtfully, 
when  the  question  came  of  learning  to 
read. 


1 66  HEIDI. 

"  Of  course,  Heidi,  you  must  learn  to 
read.  Everybody  must.  And  the  pro- 
fessor is  very  good.  He  is  never  angry, 
and  he  explains  everything.  But  only 
think !  when  he  explains  anything,  then 
you  don't  understand  a  word  of  it.  It  is 
best  to  wait,  and  say  nothing  at  all,  or 
else  he  will  keep  on  explaining ;  and  the 
more  he  does  so,  the  less  you  will  see 
what  he  means.  Later,  however,  when 
you  have  learned  a  little,  and  know  about 
it,  then  you  will  understand  what  he 
meant." 

At  this  moment  Miss  Rottenmeier  came 
back  into  the  study.  She  had  not  been 
able  to  call  Dete  back,  and  felt  very  much 
excited,  as  she  had  many  things  to  ask 
her  and  to  tell  her  that  seemed  absolutely 
necessary.     She  had  undertaken  this  busi- 


A   NEW   CHAPTER.  167 

ness  on  her  own  responsibility,  and  now 
that  it  did  not  seem  likely  to  prove  satis- 
factory, she  was  anxious  to  get  out  of  it. 
So  she  ran,  in  her  agitation,  from  the 
study  to  the  dining-room,  and  back  again, 
turning  immediately  about,  to  go  again 
through  the  same  process-,  when  lo ! 
there  was  Sebastian,  and  she  ran  plump 
against  him.  He  was  casting  his  round 
eyes  anxiously  over  the  table,  which  he 
had  just  set  for  the  dinner,  to  see  if  any- 
thing was  wanting  to  his  work. 

"This  train  of  thought  can  be  followed 
out  to-morrow ;  but  to-day  dinner  may 
be  served  at  once." 

With  these  words,  Miss  Rottenmeier 
pushed  past  Sebastian,  and  called  for 
Tinette  with  such  a  disagreeable  tone  that 
the  lady's  maid  tripped  forward  with  much 


t68  HEIDI. 

shorter  steps  than  ever,  and  stood  before 
the  housekeeper  with  such  a  mocking 
expression  on  her  face  that  Miss  Rotten- 
meier  did  not  venture  to  attack  her,  but 
tried,  instead,  to  control  herself 

"The  room  for  the  child  must  be  made 
ready,"  said  the  lady,  with  a  great  effort 
at  calmness.  "  Everything  is  there  ;  it  is 
only  necessary  to  dust  the  furniture." 

"Well,  that  is  worth  while,"  said  Tinette 
ironically,  and  went  away. 

Sebastian  now  threw  back  the  folding- 
doors  between  the  dining-room  and  the 
study  with  a  decided  bang.  He,  too,  was 
very  much  excited,  but  dared  not  show  it 
before  Miss  Rottenmeier.  So  he  walked 
into  the  study,  to  roll  Klara's  bath-chair 
to  the  table.  Whilst  he  was  adjusting 
the    handle   at    the   back    into   its   proper 


A   NEW   CHAPTER.  1 69 

position,  Heidi  placed  herself  in  front  of 
him,  and  regarded  him  fixedly,  till  sud- 
denly, as  he  could  bear  it  no  longer,  he 
shouted  out,  "  Well,  what  do  you  find  so 
wonderful  about  me  ? "  and  returned  the 
child's  stare  in  a  way  he  would  not  have 
dared  to  do,  had  the  housekeeper  been 
present ;  but  she  already  stood  on  the 
threshold,  and  heard  Heidi's  answer: 
"You  look  exactly  like  goat- Peter."  ' 

Horrified,  Miss  Rotten meier  could  only 
clasp  her  hands.  "  Now  that  child  is 
t/ioinnir  the  servants,"  said  she  half  aloud  ; 
"  the  creature  passes  all  understanding." 

The  chair  being  rolled  to  the  table,  and 

'  Literally  translated,  she  said,  "  T/ioit  iookest  "  etc.;  but 
this  form  has  been  avoided  in  the  English  rendering,  as 
being  too  nuich  at  variance  with  our  modes  of  speech; 
therefore  the  following  little  scene  loses  its  significance. 


170  HEIDI. 

Klara  carefully  placed  in  her  seat,  the 
housekeeper  took  that  next  her  young 
mistress,  and  Heidi  was  directed  to  take 
the  opposite  chair.  As  there  was  no  one 
else  at  table,  Sebastian  had  plenty  of 
room  for  the  service,  the  seats  being  far 
apart. 

Near  Heidi's  plate  lay  a  beautiful  white 
roll.  The  child  looked  at  it  with  delight. 
The  resemblance  to  Peter  that  she  had 
discovered  must  have  inspired  her  with 
confidence,  for  she  sat  perfectly  still  and 
did  not  stir,  until  Sebastian  came  round 
to  her  with  the  big  dish,  to  help  her  to 
baked  fish  ;  then  she  pointed  to  the  bread, 
and  asked,  "May  I  have  that?" 

The  servant  nodded  assent,  castinof 
meanwhile  a  little  glance  at  Miss  Rot- 
tenmeier,   for  he  was    curious   to   see   the  * 


A    NEW   CHArTER.  I  "J  I 

effect  it  had  on  her.  In  a  moment  the 
child  had  seized  the  roll,  and  stuffed  it 
into  her  pocket.  Sebastian  made  a  wry 
face,  for  the  desire  to  laugh  overtook 
him  ;  but  he  knew  that  it  would  not  be 
tolerated.  Stolid  and  unmoved  he  stood 
before  Heidi,  as  he  dared  not  speak,  and 
still  less  leave  the  room,  until  the  ser- 
vice was  over. 

Heidi  stared  at  him  for  some  time, 
and  then  asked,  "  Shall  I  eat  some  of 
that  ? " 

Sebastian   nodded  ao^ain. 

"  Then  help  me,"  she  said,  and  looked 
quietly  at  her  plate. 

Sebastian's  grimaces  now  became  alarm- 
ing, and  the  dish  in  his  hand  began  to 
shake  ominously. 

"The  dish  may  be  set  upon  the  table; 


172  HEIDI. 

we  are  served  for  the  present,"  said  Miss 
Rottenmeier  with  severity. 

Sebastian  vanished  instantly. 

"  I  see,  Adelheid,  that  I  must  instruct 
you  in  everything  from  the  beginning," 
said  the  housekeeper,  with  a  deep  sigh. 
"  In  the  first  place,  1  will  tell  you  what 
is  proper  when  you  are  at  table  ;  "  and  a 
minute  description  followed  of  all  the 
etiquette  required  while  being  served. 
"  Then  you  must  particularly  remember 
not  to  talk  to  Sebastian  while  he  is  wait- 
mg  on  us  at  table,  and  indeed  never  to 
speak  to  him  unless  you  have  a  message 
to  deliver,  or  a  necessary  question  to  ask, 
and  then  only  as  you  or  he.  Do  you 
hear?  Never  let  me  again  hear  you  ad- 
dress him  otherwise.  Tinette,  too,  should 
be  addressed  as  yoti,  Miss  Tinette.     You 


A   NEW   CIIAITER.  I  73 

must  address  me  as  all  the  others  do. 
Klara  will  tell  you  herself  what  she  wishes 
to  be  called." 

*'  Klara,  of  course,"  said  the  latter. 

Now  followed  a  quantity  of  instructions 
and  rules  about  getting  up  and  going  to 
bed,  entering  and  quitting  a  room,  about 
being  orderly,  and  closing  the  doors  ;  and 
in  the  midst  of  it  all,  Heidi  fell  fast 
asleep,  for  she  had  risen  that  morning  at 
five  o'clock,  and  had  made  a  long  jour- 
ney. The  poor  child  leaned  her  head 
back  in  her  chair,  and  slumbered.  At 
last  the  lady  had  finished  her  directions. 
*'  Now  think  it  over,  Adelheid,"  she  said 
•'Have  you  understood  it  perfectly?" 

"  Heidi  has  been  asleep  this  long  time," 
said  Klara,  smiling  with  delight.  Cer- 
tainly, for  the    lame  girl,  this  dinner  had 


1 74  HEIDI. 

been    the    most    diverting    that    she    had 
ever  known. 

"  I  have  never  imagined  anything  like 
what  one  must  endure  with  this  child," 
said  Miss  Rottenmeier  very  angrily ;  and 
she  rancr  the  bell  with  such  violence  that 
Sebastian  and  Tinette  came  runninsr  in 
together.  The  child  did  not  waken,  in 
spite  of  all  the  noise ;  and  it  was  with 
the  greatest  difficulty  that  they  could  get 
her  sufficiently  roused  to  lead  her  to  her 
bedroom,  for  they  had  to  go  through  the 
dining-room,  the  study,  Klara's  room,  and 
Miss  Rottenmeier's,  before  they  reached 
the  corner  chamber    which  was  hers„ 


A   NEW   CHAPTER.  I  75 


CHAPTER    VII. 

MTF.S   ROTTENMEIER    HAS   A    DAY    OF   TROUBLES. 

When  Heidi  opened  her  eyes  on  her 
first  day  in  Frankfort,  she  could  not  in 
the  least  understand  what  she  saw.  She 
rubbed  her  eyes  very  hard,  and  looked 
and  looked  again,  and  saw  the  same 
thinijs  each  time.  She  was  sitting  in  a 
high  white  bed,  and  before  her  she  saw 
a  large,  wide  room  ;  and  where  the  light 
entered,  hung  long  white  curtains.  Near 
them  stood  two  chairs,  with  grreat  flowers 
thereon.  Against  the  wall  was  a  sofa,  also 
covered  with  flowers,  before  which  stood 
a   round    table.      In    the   corner   was    the 


176  IIKIDI. 

washstand,   with    things    upon    it    such   as 
Heidi  had  never  seen. 

Now  she  remembered  that  she  was  in 
Frankfort ;  and  the  whole  of  the  day  be- 
fore came  to  her  mind,  and  lastly  the 
instructions  given  by  the  lady,  as  well  as 
she  had  heard  them.  Heidi  sprung  down 
from  her  bed,  and  got  herself  dressed. 
She  now  went  to  one  window,  then  to 
the  other.  She  must  see  the  sky,  and 
the  earth  outside  ;  it  seemed  as  if  she 
were  in  a  cage  behind  the  big  curtains. 
As  she  could  not  draw  them  aside,  she 
crept  under  them  to  get  to  the  window ; 
but  this  was  so  high  that  she  could  only 
just  look  out,  nor  did  she  find  what  she 
wanted.  She  ran  from  one  window  to 
another,  and  then  back  again ;  but  the 
same  things  were  always  before  her  eyes, 


A    DAY   OF   TROUBLES.  I  77 

walls  and  windows,  and  another  wall  and 
more  windows.  The  child  began  to  be 
troubled. 

It  was  still  early ;  for  Heidi  was  accus- 
tomed to  rise  early  on  the  Aim,  and  to 
run  out  at  once  before  the  door  to  see 
what  the  weather  was,  if  the  wind  sung 
in  the  pines,  and  if  any  little  flowers  had 
opened  their  eyes.  Like  a  bird,  that  for 
the  first  time  finds  itself  in  a  beautiful 
glittering  prison,  and  runs  here  and  there, 
tr\i:!^;  on  all  sides  to  retrain  its  freedom, 
so  the  child  ran  from  one  window  to 
another,  trying  to  open  them,  for  she 
felt  that  she  must  .see  something  besides 
walls  and  windows.  There  must  be  green 
grass  on  the  earth  beneath,  and  the  last 
traces  of  melting  snow  on  the  precipices ; 
and  Heidi  longed  for  the  sight. 


178  "         HEIDI. 

All  the  windows  were  tightly  fastened 
down,  however ;  and  no  matter  how  the 
child  lifted  and  tugged,  and  tried  to  get 
her  little  fingers  under  the  sash,  in  hope 
to  get  hold  enough  to  force  it  open,  it 
was  in  vain  ;  everything  was  as  firm  as 
if  made  of  iron.  After  a  long  time  she 
became  convinced  that  her  efforts  were 
useless.  She  gave  up  trying,  and  won- 
dered if  she  could  not  perhaps  get  out 
of  the  house  door,  and  run  round  the 
corner  until  she  found  the  grass  ;  for  she 
remembered  that  when  they  came,  on  the 
preceding  evening,  they  had  passed  over 
stones  all  the  way.  But  just  then  some 
one  knocked  on  the  door;  Miss  Tinette's 
head  appeared,  and  she  uttered  the  words, 
"  Breakfast  ready  !  " 

Heidi  had  no  idea  that  this  meant  that 


A   DAY   OF   TROUBLES.  I  79 

she  was  to  q-q  to  breakfast ;  and  on  the 
scornful  face  of  the  lady's  maid  the  child 
saw  much  more  a  warning  not  to  approach 
too  nearly  than  anything"  of  a  friendly 
nature,  and  read  the  face  too  truly  to  wish 
to  tr)'  familiarities. 

She  now  took  a  little  footstool  from 
beneath  the  table,  set  it  in  the  corner,  and 
taking  her  seat  there,  waited  patiently  to 
see  what  would  happen  next.  After  a 
while,  something  came  with  a  good  deal 
of  noise.  It  was  Miss  Rottenmeier,  who 
was  again  in  great  excitement,  and  came 
hurriedly  into  the  room,  saying,  "What  is 
the  matter  with  you,  Adelheid  ?  Don't  you 
know  what  breakfast  means  ?  Come  at 
once !  "  This  Heidi  understood,  and  fol- 
lowed into  the  dinintr-room,  where  Klara 
had  long  been  seated.      She  greeted   her 


l8o  HEIDI. 

little  friend  with  pleasant  words,  and  had 
a  far  more  cheerful  expression  than  usual, 
for  she  anticipated  all  sorts  of  adv'intures 
in  the  day  that  had  just  begun. 

Breakfast,  however,  proceeded  without 
accident.  Heidi  ate  her  bread  and  butter 
very  properly  ;  and  when  Klara  was  rolled 
into  the  library.  Miss  Rottenmeier  gave 
the  child  to  understand  that  she  was  to 
remain  wuth  Klara  until  the  professor 
came. 

As  soon  as  the  children  were  alone  to- 
gether, the  little  girl  asked  at  once,  "  How 
can  one  look  out,  Klara,  and  see  quite 
down  to  the  ground  ?  " 

"  You  open  the  window,  and  peep  out, 
of  course,"  said  the  other,  much  amused. 

"  But  these  windows  won't  come  open," 
said  Heidi  very  sadly. 


A   DAY   OF   TROUBLES.  l8l 

"  Oh,  yes !  they  will,"  was  Klara's 
reassuring  answer.  "  You  cannot  open 
them,  nor  can  I  help  you.  But  when  you 
get  a  chance  to  speak  to  Sebastian,  he 
will  open  one  at  once." 

It  was  a  great  relief  to  our  little  moun- 
tain girl  to  know  this,  for  she  had  felt  as 
if  she  were  in  prison. 

Soon  Klara  began  to  question  Heidi 
concerning  her  life  at  home ;  and  Heidi 
told  with  pleasure  all  about  the  Aim,  and 
the  goats,  the  pasture  life,  and  all  that 
she  loved  up  there. 

While  the  girls  talked,  the  professor 
arrived  ;  but  he  was  detained  by  Miss 
Rottenmeier  in  the  dining-room,  before 
she  allowed  him  to  go  to  the  study. 
There  she  seated  herself  before  him,  aijd 
began    excitedly  to   explain    the   dilemma 


152  HEIDI. 

she  was  in,  and  how  it  had  all  happened; 
how  she  had  written  to  Paris  a  while  ago, 
to  tell  Mr.  Sesemann  that  his  daughter  had 
long  wished  for  a  companion,  and  that 
she  herself  was  convinced  that  were  there 
some  one  to  join  Klara  in  her  studies,  it 
would  act  as  a  spur  to  her  learning.  Miss 
Rottenmeier  felt  that  it  would  also  be  most 
agreeable  to  herself  to  be  released  from 
the  necessity  of  being  always  with  her 
young  mistress. 

Mr.  Sesemann  had  replied  that  he 
should  gladly  comply  with  his  daughter's 
wish,  only  making  the  condition  that  such 
a  playfellow  should  be  treated  in  every 
way  as  if  she  were  a  daughter  of  the 
house,  for  he  would  have  no  tormenting 
of  children  in  his  home ;  which  indeed 
was  a  most  unnecessary  remark,  said  Miss 


A   DAY   OF   TROUBLES.  183 

Rottenmeier,  for  who  would  wMsh  to  be 
cruel  to  a  child  ?  Now  the  professor  must 
hear  how  very  unlucky  she  had  been  in 
her  choice,  and  there  followed  a  detail  of 
every  instance  of  ignorance  that  Heidi 
had  shown.  Not  only  must  the  child's 
education  begin  with  the  alphabet,  but 
every  point  of  good  breeding  must  be 
taught  her  from  the  very  rudiments. 

Out  of  this  unbearable  position  she 
could  see  but  one  hope  of  escape,  which 
was  for  the  professor  to  declare  that  it 
would  be  very  unprofitable  for  two  chil- 
dren who  were  in  such  different  stages  of 
advancenient  to  study  together,  especially 
for  the  more  proficient.  Such  a  statement 
would  afford  Mr.  Sesemann  a  plausible 
ground  for  withdrawing  from  the  bargain, 
and  he  would  agree  that  the  child  should 


184  HEIDI. 

be  sent  back  to  her  home  ;  which  step  she 
dared  not  take,  now  that  the  master  of 
the  house  was  aware  that  the  child  had 
arrived.  But  the  professor  was  cautious, 
and  never  one-sided  in  his  decisions.  He 
comforted  Miss  Rottenmeier  with  many 
words,  and  with  the  prospect  that  if  the 
Httle  girl  were  so  backward  on  one  side, 
she  might  be  as  forward  upon  others, 
and  that  a  well-regulated  method  of  teach- 
ing would  soon  bring  things  to  a  proper 
balance. 

At  last  the  housekeeper  became  aware 
that  she  could  hope  for  no  support  from 
the  professor,  but  that  he  intended  to 
begin  with  teaching  the  alphabet.  She 
opened  the  study  door  for  him,  shutting 
it  behind  him  quickly ;  for  of  all  things 
she    dreaded    to    be   obliged    to   listen    to 


A    DAY    OF   TKOU15LP:s.  1 85 

the  teaching  of  ABC.  Up  and  down  the 
dining-room  with  great  strides,  she  now 
tried  to  decide  the  momentous  question 
of  how  the  servants  were  to  address  Adel- 
heid.  Mr.  Sesemann  had  certainly  written 
that  she  must  be  treated  as  if  she  were 
his  daughter ;  and  this  order  must  par- 
ticularly have  reference  to  the  conduct  of 
the  servants,  thought  Miss  Rottenmeier. 
She  was  not,  however,  allowed  to  pursue 
her  train  of  thought  without  interruption, 
for  suddenly  a  startling  crash  as  of  some- 
thing falling  was  heard  in  the  study, 
followed  by  a  call  for  Sebastian.  She 
hastened  in.  On  the  floor,  in  the  great- 
est confusion,  lay  the  whole  collection  of 
schoolbooks,  copy-books,  inkstands,  and 
other  aids  to  study,  and  over  all  the  table- 
cloth, from  beneath  which  a  black  rivulet 


1 86  HEIDI. 

ran  down  the  whole  length  of  the   room. 
Heidi  had  vanished. 

"Now  we  have  it!"  cried  Miss  Rot- 
tenmeier,  wringing  her  hands.  "  Carpet, 
books,  work-basket,  everything  in  the  ink ! 
Never  has  the  like  happened  before.  This 
is  the  work  of  that  wretched  child,  with- 
out doubt." 

The  professor  stood,  much  disturbed, 
and  looked  at  the  wreck,  which  wreck 
certainly  had  only  one  side,  and  that  a 
very  distressing  one.  Klara,  on  the  other 
hand,  was  regarding  the  whole  thing  with 
a  pleased  look,  and  now  explained:  "Yes, 
Heidi  did  it,  but  not  intentionally.  In- 
deed she  must  not  be  punished.  She 
was  so  dreacllull)-  quick  in  her  movements 
that  she  dragged  the  table-cloth  with  her, 
and  so  everything  fell   down.     A  number 


A   DAY   OF  TROUBLES.  1 87 

of  carriages  drove  by,  one  after  the  otlier, 
and  that  made  her  fly  off.  She  has  proba- 
bly never  seen  a  coach." 

"There!  Is  it  not  just  as  I  told  you. 
professor  ?  Not  one  proper  idea  has  the 
creature  ;  not  the  least  suspicion  of  what 
a  lesson  is,  nor  that  she  should  orive  atten- 
tion,  and  keep  still.  But  where  has  the 
mischievous  child  gone?  If  she  should 
have  run  away,  what  shall  I  tell  Mr.  Sese- 
mann  ?" 

Miss  Rottenmeier  hurried  down-stairs. 
There  in  the  open  house  door  stood 
Heidi,  looking  up  and  down  the  street 
]uite  puzzled. 

"What  is  the  matter?  What  are  you 
thinking  of?  How  dare  you  run  off  in 
this  way ! "  cried  out  Miss  Rottenmeier 
to  die  child. 


1 88  HEIDI. 

"  I  heard  the  wind  In  the  pines ;  but  I 
don't  know  where  they  stand,  and  now 
I  do  not  hear  it  any  more."  And  she 
stood  staring  with  disappointment  toward 
the  side  from  which  the  sound  had  come. 
It  was  the  sound  of  rumbhng  of  heavy 
carriages,  which  seemed,  to  her  unwonted 
ears,  to  be  the  rushing  of  the  F'ohn  in 
the  pines,  and  which  had  filled  her  with 
the  greatest  delight. 

"Pine-trees!  Are  we  in  the  forest? 
What  kind  of  notions  are  these  ?  Come 
up-stairs  with  me,  and  see  the  mischief 
you  have  done  !  " 

Miss  Rottenmeier  went  up-stairs  again, 
followed  by  Heidi,  who  looked  at  the 
heap  of  things  that  she  had  spilled 
on  the  floor  in  consternation  ;  for  in 
her   joy    at    hearing    the    wind,    she    had 


A   DAY   OF   TROUHI.ES.  189 

thought  of  nothing  hut  getting  to  the 
pines. 

"  You  have  done  this  once ;  a  second 
time  it  must  not  happen,"  said  the 
housekeeper,  pointing  to  the  floor.  "  In 
order  to  learn,  one  must  sit  still,  and  pay 
attention.  If  you  cannot  do  it  of  your- 
self, then  I  must  bind  you  fast  to  your 
chair.     Can  you  understand  what  I   say?" 

"  Yes,"  answered  Heidi,  "  but  indeed  I 
will  sit  still ; "  for  she  understood  now, 
that  it  was  a  rule  that  during  study  hours 
she  was  to  sit  quiet. 

Sebastian  and  Tinette  came  in  to  put 
things  in  order  again.  The  professor 
withdrew,  for  there  could  be  no  more 
lessons  that  day.  There  had  certainly 
been  no  yawning. 

It  was  Klara's  habit  to  rest  for  a  while 


190  HEIDI. 

in  the  afternoon  ;  and  Heidi  was  to 
choose  her  own  occupation  for  that  time, 
as  the  housekeeper  had  that  morning 
explained  to  her.  So  when  Klara  had 
settled  herself  to  rest  in  her  bath-chair, 
and  Miss  Rottenmeier  had  withdrawn  to 
her  own  room,  the  child  realized  that 
she  was  free  to  do  as  she  liked.  She 
was  glad  enough,  for  she  had  something 
in  her  mind  that  she  longed  to  accom- 
plish. For  this,  however,  she  needed 
assistance ;  so  she  stationed  herself  in 
the  corridor,  before  the  entrance  to  the 
dining-room,  in  order  that  the  person  to 
whom  she  wished  to  speak  could  not 
escape  her. 

In  a  short  time,  up  came  Sebastian 
with  a  tray,  bringing  the  silver  from  the 
kitchen,  to  put    it   away  in  the  sideboard 


A   DAY   OF  TROUBLES.  I9I 

in  the  dining-room.  As  he  reached  the 
topmost  step,  there  stood  Heidi  before 
him,  and  very  distinctly  she  said,  "  You 
or  he ! " 

Sebastian's  round  eyes  opened  to  their 
utmost  capacity,  and  he  said  rather 
sharply,  "What  do  you  mean,  mamselle?" 

"  I  want  to  ask  you  something ;  but  it 
is  nothing  naughty,  Hke  this  morning," 
she  said  deprecatingly,  for  she  thought 
he  was  angry,  and  she  supposed  it  was 
because  of   the  ink  on  the  carpet. 

"  Oh  ho !  But  why  must  I  be  called 
You  or  he  ?  First  tell  me  that,"  said 
the  man  still  sharply. 

"  That  is  what  I  must  always  say,  for 
Miss  Rottenmeier  has  ordered  it  so." 

At  these  words,  Sebastian  burst  out 
laughing    so    loudly,  that    Heidi  stared  at 


192  HEIDI. 

him  in  surprise,  for  she  saw  nothing  to 
laugh  at.  The  man,  however,  understood 
at  once  what  it  all  meant,  and  said,  "  All 
right ;  now  go  on,  mamselle." 

"  I  am  not  mamselle,  I  ani  Heidi," 
said  the  child,  now  somewhat  nettled  in 
her  turn. 

"  That  is  true  enouofh ;  but  the  same 
lady  has  ordered  me  to  say  mamselle." 

"Has  she?  Well,  then,  I  must  be 
called  so,"  said  Heidi  resignedly ;  for  she 
had  learned  that  everything  in  the  house- 
hold must  be  as  Miss  Rottenmeier  wished. 

"  Now  I  have  three  names,"  she  added 
with  a  sigh. 

"  But  what  did  the  little  mamselle  wish 
to  ask  ? "  asked  Sebastian  at  last,  as  he 
went  into  the  dining-room  to  put  away 
the  silver. 


A   DAY   OF   TROUBLES.  1 93 

"  How  can  one  open  these  windows, 
Sebastian  ? " 

"  So,  just  so ; "  and  he  opened  one  <ii 
the  great  windows. 

The  child  ran  to  look  out,  but  she 
was  too  small ;  she  only  reached  to  the 
sill. 

Sebastian  brought  a  high  wooden  stool 
to  the  window.  "  Now  the  little  mam- 
selle  can  look  out,"  he  said,  as  he  helped 
her  up  on  to  it. 

But  the  child  withdrew  her  head 
quickly,  with  a  look  of  keen  disappoint- 
.nent  on  her  face.  "There's  only  the 
stone  street,  and  nothing  else,"  said  she 
sadly.  "  But  if  you  go  all  round  the 
house,  what  can  you  see  on  the  other 
side,  Sebastian } " 

"Just  the  same." 


194  HEIDI. 

"  Is  there  no  place  where  you  can  see 
the  whole  valley  far  down  and  away  ? " 

"To  do  that  you  must  climb  up  a 
high  tower,  a  church  tower,  like  that 
one  over  there  with  the  golden  ball  on 
the  top.  You  can  look  down  from  that, 
and  see  about  on  every  side." 

In  a  twinkling  Heidi  had  clambered 
down  from  her  high  stool,  was  off  to 
the  door,  out  into  the  street,  and  away. 
Things  did  not  happen  as  she  expected, 
however.  When  she  saw  the  tower  out 
of  the  window  she  thought  that  she  could 
go  to  it  by  simply  crossing  the  street ; 
it  seemed  directly  before  her.  She  went 
the  whole  length  of  the  street,  but  did 
not  come  to  it,  nor  could  she  see  it  any- 
where. She  turned  a  corner,  going  farther 
and  farther,  still  no  tower  to  be  seen. 


A    DAY    OF   TRC)U1!1,ES.  1 95 

A  great  many  people  passed  her  by ; 
but  they  all  seemed  in  such  haste  that 
the  child  thought  they  would  not  find 
time  to  give  her  any  information  ;  but 
on  the  next  corner  she  saw  a  bo)'  stand- 
ing, who  carried  a  small  hand-organ  on 
his  back,  and  on  his  arm  a  queer-look- 
ing animal.  Running  up  to  him,  the 
child  asked,  "  Where  is  the  tower  with 
the  golden  ball  at  the  top  ? " 

"  Don't  know." 

"Who  can  I  ask  to  tell  me?* 

"  Don't  know." 

"  Do  you  know  of  any  other  church 
with  a  high  tower  ?  " 

"Yes,  I  do." 

"  Then  come  and  show  me." 

'.'  Tell  me  first  what  you  will  give  me." 

The    boy    held    out    his    hand.     Heidi 


196  HEIDI. 

searched  in  her  pocket,  and  drew  out  a 
httle  picture  of  a  pretty  wreath  of  red 
roses.  She  looked  at  it  rather  regret- 
fully, for  Klara  had  given  it  to  her  that 
very  morning ;  but  to  look  down  into 
the  valley,  to  survey  the  green  preci- 
pices ! 

"  Here,"  she  said,  and  held  the  card 
towards  the  lad,   "will  you   take  this?" 

He  withdrew  his  hand,  and  shook  his 
head. 

"  What  do  you  want,  then  ? "  asked 
she,  tucking  her  picture  away  gladly. 

"  Money." 

"  I  have  none,  but  Klara  has ;  she  will 
certainly  give  you  some.  How  much  do 
you  want  ? " 

"  Five  cents." 

"Well,  then,  come  along.** 


A   DAY   OF  TROUBLES.  1 97 

They  wandered  down  a  long  street, 
and  the  child  asked  her  guide  what  he 
carried  on  his  back.  He  explained  that 
there  was  a  beautiful  oro^an  under  the 
cloth,  that  made  charmino-  music,  if  he 
turned  the  handle.  All  at  once  he  stood 
still  before  an  old  church  with  a  high 
tower.      "This  is  it,"  he  said. 

"  But  how  can  I  get  in  ?  "  asked  Heidi,  as 
she  discovered  that  the  door  was  fastened. 

"  Don't  know." 

"  Do  you  think  I  could  ring,  as  they  do 
for  Sebastian  ? " 

"  Don't  know." 

The  child  had  discovered  a  bell,  at  which 
she  pulled  with  all  her  might. 

"When  J  go  in,  you  must  wait  for  me 
here,  for  I  do  not  know  my  way  back,  and 
I  want  you  to  show  me." 


198  HEIDI. 

"What  will  you  give  me  for  it?" 

"What  do  you  want?" 

**  Another  five  cents." 

The  creaking  lock  was  turned  from  with- 
in, the  creaking  door  was  opened,  and  an 
old  man  stepped  out ;  he  stared  some- 
what curiously  at  first  at  the  children, 
then  in  surprise  and  anger  demanded  : 
"  What  do  you  mean  by  ringing  me 
down,  you  two?  Can't  you  read  what  is 
written  here  over  the  bell  ?  —  '  For  those 
who  wish  to  climb  the  tower.' " 

The  lad  pointed  to  Keidi  with  his  fore- 
finger, and  said  nothing.  Heidi  said  at 
once,  "That  is  just  what  I  want  to  do." 

"  W^hat  business  have  you  up  there  ? 
Did  any  one  send  you  ?  " 

"  No  ;  I  want  to  go  up  so  that  I  can 
look  down." 


A    DAY   OF   TROUBLES.  1 99 

*'  Make  haste  and  get  you  home,  and 
do  not  try  this  joke  again,  for  you  will  not 
get  off  so  easily  the  second  time !  "  The 
tower-keeper  turned  away,  and  was  going 
to  shut  the  door ;  but  Heidi  held  him  by 
the  coat,  and  begged,   "  Only  just  once." 

He  looked  round,  and  Heidi's  eyes 
gazed  up  at  him  so  beseechingly  that  he 
was  moved,  and  took  the  child  by  the 
hand,  saying  kindly,  "  If  you're  so  very 
much  set  upon  it,  come  with  me." 

The  boy  had  seated  himself  on  a  stone 
seat  beside  the  door,  to  show  that  he  did 
not  wish  to  accompany  them. 

They  climbed  many,  many  steps,  Heidi 
holding  by  the  tower-keeper's  hand.  Soon 
the  stairway  became  much  narrower,  and 
at  last  it  was  only  the  smallest  passage, 
and    they   were   at   the   top.     The   tower- 


200  HEIDI. 

keeper  raised  her  in  his  arms,  and  held 
her  at  the  open  window.  "There,  now! 
Look  down,"  said  he. 

Heidi  looked  down  over  a  sea  of  roofs, 
towers,  and  chimneys ;  she  drew  back 
quickly,  saying,  quite  downcast,  "  It  isn't 
anything  like  what  I  thought  it  would 
be." 

"  Now  you  see  how  it  is.  How  could 
such  a  little  girl  understand  about  a 
view  ?  Come  now,  and  ring  no  more 
tower-bells." 

Setting  the  child  again  on  the  floor, 
he  led  the  way  back  down  the  narrow 
stair.  Where  the  passage  grew  wider, 
they  came  to  the  keeper's  room.  Near 
the  door  the  floor  extended  under  the 
steep  roof,  and  there  stood  a  big  basket. 
A  large  gray  cat    sat   there  growling ;  fof 


I 


A   DAY   OF   TROUBLES.  20I 

her  family  lived  in  the  basket,  and  she 
warned  everybody  who  passed  not  to 
meddle  with  her  household  affairs.  Heidi, 
who  had  never  seen  so  huge  a  cat, 
stopped  to  admire  her.  Armies  of  mice 
lived  in  the  old  tower ;  and  Mrs.  Puss 
fetched  every  day  without  trouble  a  good 
half-dozen  for  dinner. 

Seeing  Heidi's  interest,  the  keeper 
said :  "  She  will  not  hurt  you  while  I  am 
here.     You  may  look  at  her  kittens." 

Heidi  drew  near  the  basket,  and  broke 
out  into  exclamations  of  delight.  "  Oh, 
the  pretty  little  creatures !  the  beautiful 
kittens !  "  she  cried  again  and  again,  and 
ran  round  and  round  to  see  all  the  funny 
movements  and  gambols  that  the  seven 
or  eight  little  things  were  making,  as 
they  rolled    about    in   the    basket,   spring- 


202  HEIDI. 

ing,  crawling,  and  tumbling  over  each 
other. 

"  Would  you  like  to  have  one  of  them  ?" 
asked  the  keeper,  who  was  regarding  the 
child  with  pleasure,  as  she  jumped  about 
for  joy. 

"For  myself?  for  always?"  said  she 
excitedly,  and  could  not  believe  in  such 
happiness. 

"  To  be  sure.  You  may  have  more ; 
you  may  have  them  all,  if  you  have  room 
for  them,"  said  the  man,  who  was  glad 
to  get  rid  of  his  kittens  without  being 
obliged  to  kill  them. 

Heidi's  delig^ht  was  at  its  climax.  In 
that  big  house  the  kittens  could  have 
so  much  room,  and  how  surprised  and 
pleased  Klara  would  be  when  she  saw 
the  dear  little  things  ! 


A   DAY   OF   TROUBLES.  2O3 

*'  But  how  can  I  take  them  home  with 
me?"  Heidi  now  asked,  and  put  out  her 
hand  to  take  one  immediately;  but  the 
big  cat  sprang  on  to  her  arm,  spitting 
at  her  so  angrily  that  she  drew  back 
afraid. 

"  I  will  bring  them  to  you,  if  you  will 
tell  me  where." 

The  keeper  said  this,  while  he  stroked 
the  old  cat  to  quiet  her.  She  was  his  good 
friend,  and  they  had  inhabited  the  tower 
for  many  years. 

"  To  Mr.  Sesemann's  big  house,"  an- 
swered Heidi.  "  There  is  a  golden  dog's 
head  on  the  door,  holding  a  thick  ring 
in  his  mouth." 

It  was  not  necessary  to  give  all  these 
directions  to  the  tower-master,  who  had 
lived  all  his  life  in  the  tower,  and  knew 


204  HEIDI. 

every  house  far  and  near,  and  was  also  an 
old  friend  of  Sebastian. 

"  I  know  the  house  well.  But  to  whom 
shall  I  bring  the  little  things  ?  for  whom 
shall  I  ask  ?  You  do  not  belong  to  Mr. 
Sesemann." 

"  No,  but  Klara.  She  will  be  delighted 
when  the  little  kits  come  home." 

The  child  could  scarcely  tear  herself 
away  from  the  enchanting  basket,  though 
the  keeper  said  it  was  time  to  go  down. 

"If  I  could  only  take  one  or  two  of 
them  with  me !  one  for  myself,  and  one 
for  Klara!     Oh,  may  I?" 

"  Wait  a  moment,"  said  the  keeper, 
and  drew  the  old  cat  cautiously  into  his 
little  room.  He  set  her  down  to  a  dish 
of  milk,  shut  the  door  upon  her,  and 
came  back,  saying,  "  Now  take  two." 


A   DAY   OF  TROUBLES.  2O5 

Her  eyes  dancing  with  joy,  Heidi  chose 
a  white  one  and  a  yellow  one  striped 
with  white,  and  stuck  one  into  her  righ  - 
hand  and  the  other  into  her  le^^  hand 
pocket.     They  then  went  down 

The  lad  still  sat  on  the  steps  where 
they  had  left  him,  and  wnen  the  keeper 
had  closed  the  door  and  gone  a^vay,  Heidi 
asked,  "  Which  way  must  we  take  to  go 
to  Mr.  Sesemann's  house?" 

"  Don't  know." 

She  described  the  house,  the  door,  the 
steps,  and  the  windows  ;  but  her  com- 
panion only  shook  his  head.  He  knew 
nothing  about  all  these. 

"  Now  look  !  "  said  she,  with  a  new  idea. 
**  From  one  of  the  windows  can  be  seen  a 
big,  big  gray  house,  and  the  roof  goes 
so,''  and  she  drew  great  notches  in  the 
air  with  her  finger. 


206  HEIDI. 

Up  jumped  the  boy  at  this.  These  were 
the  signs  that  he  needed.  Now  he  knew 
the  way.  Off  he  started,  and  the  little 
girl  after  him,  and  soon  they  stood  before 
the  door  with  the  big  metal  dog's  head. 
Heidi  pulled  the  bell.  Sebastian  quickly 
appeared,  and  seeing  the  child,  cried 
out,  "  Come  at  once,  as  fast  as  you  can  !  " 

In  sprang  Heidi ;  the  door  slammed  to. 
The  servant  had  not  even  noticed  the  boy, 
who  stood  abashed  outside. 

"  Quick,  mamselle  !  "  urged  Sebastian 
again.  "Run  into  the  dining-room. 
They  are  already  at  table,  and  Miss  Rot- 
tenmeier  looks  like  a  loaded  cannon. 
What  possessed  the  little  mamselle  to  run 
away  ? " 

Heidi  entered  the  room.  Miss  Rotten- 
meier  did   not   look   up.     Klara  also  took 


A    DAY    OF   TROUBLES.  20/ 

no  notice.  The  silence  was  rather  oppres- 
sive. Sebastian  placed  Heidi's  chair  for 
her.  As  the  child  took  her  place,  the 
housekeeper  began,  with  a  severe  expres- 
sion and  a  very  solemn  voice:  "Adelheid, 
I  wish  to  speak  to  you  later.  I  will  only 
say  now  that  you  have  misbehaved  your- 
self greatly,  and  deserve  punishment  for 
having  left  the  house  without  asking  per- 
mission, or  letting  anybody  know,  and  for 
running  about  until  this  late  hour.  It  is 
most  unheard-of  conduct." 

"  Miew  !  "  came  for  reply. 

At  this  the  ladv's  an^er  rose  to  a  terrible 
pitch.  "How  is  this,  Adelheid.'^"  she 
cried,  speaking  louder  and  louder.  "  Do 
you  dare,  in  addition  to  your  misbehavior, 
to  make  game  of  me  ?  Beware  what  you 
are  about !     I  warn  you  !  " 


208  UElDl. 

"I  am  not"  —  began  Heidi.  Miewl 
miew ! 

Sebastian  now  almost  flung  his  dish  on 
the  table,  and  fled  from  the  room. 

"  It  is  too  much  !  "  This  is  what  Miss 
Rottenmeier  tried  to  say,  but  her  voice 
was  quite  gone  from  excitement.  "  Rise, 
and  leave  the  room,"  she  stammered. 

Very  much  frightened,  the  child  rose, 
trying  once  more  to  explain. 

"I  truly  am  not"  —  Miew!  miew! 
miew ! 

"  But,  Heidi,"  interposed  Klara,  "  when 
you  see  that  it  makes  Miss  Rottenmeier 
so  angry,  why  do  you  keep  on  making 
that  noise  ? " 

"I  am  not  making  it;  it's  the  kittens," 
Heidi  at  last  found  chance  to  answer. 

"  How  ?   What  ?    Young  cats!  "  screamed 


A    DAY   OF   TROUBLES.  2O9 

the  lady.  "  Sebastian  !  Tinette  !  find  the 
horrid  things.  Get  rid  of  them."  With 
the  words  she  ran  into  the  study,  boUing 
the  door,  to  make  herself  more  secure, 
for  of  all  created  things  young  cats  were 
the  most  terrible  to  her. 

Sebastian  stood  outside,  where  he  was 
fain  to  have  his  laugh  out  before  he  again 
entered.  He  had  seen,  while  he  was 
serving  Heidi,  a  small  feline  head,  and 
then  another,  peeping  out  of  her  pockets 
on  either  side,  and  foresaw  the  trouble 
that  was  brewing.  When  the  storm  fairly 
broke,  he  could  contain  himself  not  another 
moment,  hardly  long  enough  even  to  set 
his  dish  on  the  table.  At  last  he  went 
again  into  the  room,  but  not  until  the 
terrified  lady's  cries  for  help  had  been 
repeated    over    and    over   again.      Every 


2IO  HEIDI. 

thing  now  seemed  quiet  and  tranqui'l 
enough.  Klara  held  the  kittens  in  her 
lap,  Heidi  knelt  on  the  floor  by  her  side, 
and  the  children  were  playing  most  hap- 
pily with  the  tiny,  graceful  creatures. 

"  Sebastian,"  said  Klara  to  him  as  he 
entered,  "  you  must  help  us.  You  must 
find  a  nest  for  the  kittens  where  Miss  Rot- 
tenmeier  will  not  see  them  ;  for  she  is  afraid 
of  them,  and  will  send  them  away.  But 
we  do  want  to  keep  the  little  darlings,  and 
have  them  here  to  play  with  whenever  we 
are  alone.     Where  can  you  hide  them  ? " 

*'  I  will  take  care  of  them,  Miss  Klara," 
said  Sebastian  willingly.  "  I  will  make  a 
nice  little  bed  for  them  in  a  basket,  and 
put  it  somewhere  so  that  the  lady  who 
is  so  afraid  of  them  shall  not  find  it. 
Leave  it  all  to  me." 


A   DAY   OF  TROUBLES.  211 

Sebastian  went  at  once  to  work,  and 
snickered  to  himself  as  he  thought,  "There 
will  be  some  fun  out  of  this  ;  "  for  he  was 
not  sorry  to  see  the  housekeeper  stirred 
up  now  and  then. 

The  particular  scolding  that  Miss  Rot- 
tenmeier  intended  to  administer  to  Heidi 
passed  over  till  the  following  day,  for  she 
felt  herself  too  much  exhausted,  after  all 
the  emotions  of  anxiety,  anger,  and  fear, 
that  the  child  had  so  unintentionally  caused 
her,  to  do  anything  that  evening.  She 
withdrew  early,  and  the  little  girls  followed 
in  perfect  contentment,  knowing  that  the 
kittens  were  safe. 


2ia  HEIDL 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

IN     THE     SESEMANN     HOUSE     THINGS     DO     NOT 
GO    SMOOTHLY. 

When  Sebastian  had  opened  the  door 
for  the  professor  on  the  following  morning, 
and  had  shown  that  gentleman,  as  usual, 
into  the  study,  suddenly  the  door-bell 
rang  again,  and  with  such  violence  that 
the  servant  flew  down-stairs  again  as  if 
ihot ;  for  he  said  to  himself,  "It  must  be 
Mr.  Sesemann  himself,  who  has  returned 
unexpectedly." 

Opening  the  door  as  quickly  as  possible, 
a  ragged  boy  with  a  hand-organ  on  his 
back  confronted  him. 


THINGS   DO   NOT   GO    SMOOTHLY.        213 

'*  What  do  you  mean  ?  I  will  teach  )ou 
to  pull  the  door-bell  hard  enough  to  tear 
it  out  [  What  do  you  want  here  ? "  cried 
the  angry  servant. 

*'  I  must  see  Klara,"  was  the  answer. 

"  You  dirty  street-boy,  you  !  Can't  you 
at  least  say  Miss  Klara,  as  the  rest  of  us 
do  ?  What  business  can  you  have  with 
Miss  Klara  ? "  asked  the  man,  still  more 
roughly. 

"  She  owes  me  ten  cents,"  said  the  lad. 

"  There  is  something  wrong  with  your 
head,  I  think.  How  do  you  know,  in  the 
first  place,  that  there  is  a  Miss  Klara  ? " 

"  I  showed  her  the  way  yesterday, 
comes  to  five ;  and  then  the  way  back 
again,  comes  to  ten." 

"  Now  what  stuff  you  are  making  up  I 
Miss  Klara   never   walks   out,    can't   even 


214  HEIDI. 

do  it.  Be  off  now !  Go  home,  where 
you  belong,  before  I  help  you  !  " 

But  the  lad  was  not  intimidated  by 
these  threats.  Standing  his  ground,  he 
said  stolidly :  "  I  saw  her  yesterday  in  the 
street,  I  can  tell  you  how  she  looks.  She 
has  short  hair  that  curls,  and  is  black ; 
her  eyes  are  black,  too,  and  her  frock  is 
brown.     She  does  not  talk  as  we  do." 

"Oh  ho!"  thought  Sebastian,  and  snick- 
ered to  himself.  "  That  is  the  little  mam- 
selle.     She  has  started  something  new  !  " 

He  told  the  lad  to  follow  him  inside, 
then  to  wait  at  the  study  door  until  allowed 
to  enter,  and  once  in,  to  begin  to  play  his 
organ  immediately ;  that  would  please  Miss 
Klara. 

Knocking  at  the  study  door,  Sebastian 
was  told   to   come    in.     "  There    is   a   lad 


THINGS    DO   NOT   GO   SMOOTHLY.        215 

here  who  insists  that  he  has  something 
to  say  to  Miss  Klara  herseHV  he  an- 
nounced. 

Klara  was  dehghted  at  this  unusual 
occurrence. 

"  Let  him  come  in  at  once,"  she  said. 
'•May  he  not,  professor?" 

The  lad  had  already  stepped  into  the 
room,  and  as  directed,  had  begun  to  play. 

Now  this  morning  Miss  Rottenmeier  had 
found  all  sorts  of  things  to  attend  to  in 
the  dining-room,  in  order  to  avoid  hearing 
the  teaching  of  the  alphabet.  Suddenly 
she  stopped,  and  listened.  Did  those 
sounds  come  from  the  street  ?  Yet  they 
sounded  so  near !  Could  there  be  a 
hurdy-gurdy  in  the  study  ?  Yes,  yes  ;  in 
there  it  certainly  was.  She  flew  through 
the   long  dining-room,  and  tore  open  the 


2l6  HEIDI. 

door.  There,  incredible !  there,  in  the 
middle  of  the  study,  stood  a  ragged  boy, 
turninpf  the  handle  of  his  instrument  with 
the  greatest  diligence  !  The  professor 
seemed  standing  as  if  about  to  speak, 
but  could  not  get  a  chance.  Klara  and 
Heidi  were  listening,  entranced. 

"  Stop  !  stop  at  once  !  "  cried  Miss  Rot- 
tenmeier,  coming  into  the  room  ;  but  her 
voice  was  drowned  by  the  music.  She 
ran  toward  the  lad,  when  suddenly  some- 
thing came  between  her  feet,  and  she 
stooped  to  look  on  the  floor.  A  grayish, 
blackish  animal  was  crawling  almost  under 
her  feet;  it  was  a  tortoise.  Miss  Rotten- 
meier  made  one  spring  into  the  air,  such 
as  she  had  not  made  for  many  a  year. 
Then  she  screamed  with  all  her  might, 
"  Sebastian  !  Sebastian  !  " 


THINGS   DO   NOT   GO   SMOOTHLY.         217 

The  organ-grinder  stopped  suddenly,  for 
this  time  the  voice  was  louder  than  the 
music.  Sebastian  stood  behind  the  half- 
open  door,  all  doubled  up  with  laughter, 
for  he  had  seen  the  leap  Miss  Rottenmeier 
had  made.  At  last  he  came  in.  The 
housekeeper  had  sunk  down  into  a  chair. 
"  Drive  them  out !  man  and  beast !  Get 
rid  of  them,  Sebastian,  at  once  !  " 

The  servant  obeyed  ;  drew  the  lad,  who 
had  quickly  caught  up  his  tortoise,  out 
of  the  room,  pressed  something  into 
his  hand,  saying,  "  Ten  cents  for  Miss 
Klara,  and  ten  cents  for  the  music.  You 
did  it  very  well  ; "  and  shut  the  house 
door. 

In  the  study  it  was  now  quiet  again ; 
the  lessons  were  resumed,  and  this  time 
Miss  Rottenmeier  remained  stationary,  to 


2iS  HEIDI. 

prevent,  if  possible,  any  new  outbreak 
She  had  determined  to  investigate  the  mat- 
ter  after  lessons,  and  to  punish  the  wrong- 
doer so  that  it  would  never  be  forgotten. 

But  soon  another  knock  was  heard  at 
the  door ;  Sebastian  appeared  again,  with 
the  announcement  that  a  great  basket  had 
come,  to  be  delivered  to  Miss  Klara. 

"To  me?"  asked  Klara  in  surprise,  and 
very  curious.  "  Let  me  see  at  once  how  it 
looks.     What  can  it  be  ? " 

Sebastian  brought  in  a  covered  basket, 
and  withdrew  as  quickly  as  possible. 

"  I  think  we  will  first  finish  our  lessons, 
and  unpack  the  basket  afterwards,"  said 
Miss  Rottenmeier. 

Klara  could  not  imagine  what  had  been 
sent  to  her ;  she  looked  longingly  towards 
the  basket. 


THINGS   DO  NOT  GO   SMOOTHLY.        219 

"  Professor,"  she  said,  interrupting  her- 
self  in    her  declension,   "  may  I   not   take- 
one  look,  just  to  see  what  there  is  in  it  ? 
then  I  would  go  on  with  my  lessons." 

"  In  one  point  of  view  there  is  reason 
for  your  request,  and  in  another  against 
it,"  replied  he.  "  In  its  favor,  lies  the 
fact  that  as  long  as  your  whole  attention 
is  concentrated  on  this  object  —  " 

The  professor's  speech  was  never  fin- 
ished ;  for  the  covering  of  the  basket  was 
quite  loose,  and  behold  !  out  leaped  one, 
two,  three,  and  again  two,  kittens  upon 
kittens,  till  the  whole  room  seemed  full 
of  these  creatures,  they  were  everywhere 
ivith  such  inconceivable  rapidity.  One 
jumped  over  the  professor's  boots,  and  bit 
at  his  trousers.  Another  crawled  over  Miss 
Rottenmeier's  feet,  and  clambered  up  her 


220  HEIDI. 

dress,  while  a  third  sprang  upon  Klara's 
chair.  They  scratched,  they  clawed,  they 
mewed ;  it  was  a  perfect  turmoil !  Klara 
cried  out,  in  the  greatest  delight :  "  Oh, 
what  darlings  !  What  little  beauties  !  How 
they  jump !  See,  Heidi !  look  at  this 
one !  Oh,  at  that ! "  Heidi  ran  after 
them,  here  and  there,  into  all  the  corners. 
The  professor  stood  much  embarrassed  by 
the  table,  lifting  first  one  foot,  then  the 
other,  out  of  the  way  of  the  unpleasant 
little  skirmishers. 

At  first  the  housekeeper  sat  speechless 
from  terror,  glued  to  her  chair.  Soon 
she  recovered  voice,  and  began  to  scream 
with  all  her  might,  "  Tinette !  Tinette ! 
Sebastian  !  Sebastian  !  "  It  would  have 
been  impossible  for  her  to  rise  from  her 
seat,  with    all   these  little   horrors  around 


THINGS    DO    NOT   GO   SMOOTHLY.         221 

her.  At  last  the  servants  came  in,  caught 
the  kittens,  one  after  another,  and  stuffed 
them  into  the  basket,  and  carried  them 
off  to  the  attic,  to  their  companions  of 
the  previous  evening.  During  to-day's 
study  hours,  as  yesterday's,  there  had  been 
no  room  for  yawning. 

In  the  evening,  when  Miss  Rottenmeier 
had  recovered  (sufficiently  from  her  alarm, 
she  called  Sebastian  and  Tinette  into  the 
study,  and  instituted  a  thorough  investiga- 
tion into  this  most  objectionable  occur- 
rence. It  now  came  to  light  that  Heidi, 
during  her  excursion  of  the  day  before, 
had  arranged  the  whole  affair.  The  house- 
keeper sat  perfectly  white  with  dismay, 
and  could  find  no  words  to  utter  after 
this  disclosure.  She  made  signs  with  her 
hand    for   them   to   leave.     After   a  while 


222  HEIDI. 

she  turned  to  Heidi,  who  was  standing 
by  Klara's  chair  with  but  slight  idea  of 
what  crime  she  had  been  guilty. 

"Adelheid,"  she  began,  in  a  severe  tone, 
**  I  know  of  only  one  punishment  that 
would  touch  you  in  the  least,  for  you  are  a 
barbarian  ;  but  we  will  see  if  you  do  not 
get  tamed  down,  in  our  cellar  with  the  rats 
and  lizards,  until  you  are  cured  of  your 
taste  for  such  things." 

Heidi  listened  in  quiet  surprise  at  her 
sentence,  for  she  had  never  been  in  a 
frightful  cellar.  The  room  adjoining  the 
mountain  cottage  that  her  grandfather 
called  the  cellar,  where  the  cheese  was 
kept  and  where  the  milk-pans  stood,  was 
a  pleasant  and  attractive  place ;  and  as 
for  rats  and  lizards,  she  had  never  seen 
any. 


THINGS    DO   NOT   GO   SMOOTHLY.         22 j 

Klara,  however,  raised  a  loud  protest. 
"  No,  no,  Miss  Rottenmeier !  we  must  wait 
until  papa  comes.  He  will  soon  be  here, 
and  then  he  will  decide,  after  I  have  told 
him  all  about  it,  what  is  to  be  done  to 
Heidi." 

Against  this  there  could  be  no  objec- 
tion, as  the  master  was  really  coming  in 
a  few  days.  Miss  Rottenmeier  rose,  and 
said  somewhat  wrathfully,  "  Very  well, 
Klara,  very  well !  I  shall  also  have  a  few 
words  to  say  to  your  father,"  and  sailed 
out  of  the  room. 

Several  quiet  days  now  passed  by,  but 
the  housekeeper  did  not  recover  her  com- 
posure. She  hourly  felt  her  disappoint- 
ment about  Heidi,  and  it  seemed  to  her 
as  if,  since  the  child's  arrival,  everything 
had  been  out  of  joint,  and  could   not  be 


2  24  HEIDI. 

adjusted  again.  Klara,  on  the  contrary, 
was  well  pleased.  Heidi's  ways  were  so 
diverting,  that  the  hours  devoted  to  in- 
struction were  no  longer  tedious  ones. 
She  always  got  the  letters  confused  with 
each  other,  and  could  not  learn  to  dis- 
tinguish them.  The  good  professor  would 
be  in  the  midst  of  explaining  their  forms, 
and  in  order  to  make  them  more  strik- 
ing would  compare  one  to  a  horn,  and 
another  to  a  beak,  when  Heidi,  in  a  tone 
of  great  excitement,  would  cry  out,  "It  is 
a  goat !  "  or,  "It  is  the  eagle  !  "  The  de- 
scription had  called  up  all  sorts  of  notions, 
but  not  the  names  of  letters. 

Late  one  afternoon,  Klara  having  rested 
for  the  usual  time,  Heidi  sat  beside  her, 
and  told  her  yet  more  about  her  life  on 
the  Aim ;  and  as  she  talked  about  it,  the 


THINGS   DO   NOT  GO   SMOOTHLY.        225 

desire  to  return  became  so  great  that  she 
said  at  last,  "  Now  I  certainly  must  go 
back  to-morrow !  " 

She  had  often  said  so,  and  Klara  had 
always  been  able  to  quiet  her,  and  to  per- 
suade the  child  that  it  would  be  better  to 
wait  until  her  father  came,  then  they  would 
hear  what  he  said  about  it ;  and  Heidi 
always  yielded,  and  was  content,  being 
helped  by  the  secret  thought  that  every 
day  she  staid,  the  heap  of  rolls  for  the 
blind  grandmother  would  become  larger. 
Morning  and  evening  she  added  to  her 
collection  the  beautiful  white  roll  that  lay 
beside  her  plate.  She  stuffed  them  quickly 
into  her  pocket,  and  could  not  have  eaten 
them  herself,  because  the  thought  of  how 
the  poor  old  woman  could  not  eat  the  hard 
black  bread  rose  always  in  her  memory. 


226  HEIDI. 

After  luncheon,  Heidi  sat  always  alone 
in  her  room  for  two  long  hours,  and  did 
not  move ;  for  she  understood  that  she 
was  not  allowed  to  go  out  alone  in  Frank- 
fort, as  if  she  were  on  the  Aim,  and  she 
never  tried  aofain  to  do  so.  She  was  also 
forbidden  to  go  to  the  dining-room  to  talk 
to  Sebastian  ;  while  to  have  any  conv^ersa^ 
tion  with  Tinette  never  occurred  to  the 
child,  who  always  got  out  of  the  way 
of  the  lady's  maid  as  quickly  as  possible, 
because  she  only  spoke  to  her  in  a  mock- 
ing tone,  making  fun  of  her;  a  disposition 
Vv'hich   Heidi  only  too  well  understood. 

So  the  little  girl  sat  alone,  and  had 
plenty  of  time  to  imagine  how  the  Aim 
was  again  green,  how  the  yellow  llowers 
glistened  in  the  sunshine,  and  how  every- 
thing shone  in  the  bright  light,  the  snow 


THINGS    DO    NOT   GO   SMOOTHLY.         22/ 

and  the  mountain,  and  the  whole  valley, 
until  she  could  scarcely  wait  another  mo- 
ment, so  great  was  her  longing  to  be 
back  there  as^aln.  Her  aunt  had  assured 
her  that  she  could  go  home  whenever  she 
wished  ;  and  so  it  came  to  pass  that  the 
child  one  day  restrained  herself  no  longer. 
She  packed  up  all  her  rolls  in  the  great 
red  kerchief,  put  her  old  straw^  hat  on  her 
head,  and  started  off. 

No  further  than  the  house  door,  how- 
ever, Heidi  encountered  an  insuperable 
obstacle,  in  the  shape  of  Miss  Rotten- 
meier,  just  returning  from  a  walk.  She 
stood  still  in  blank  amaze,  and  stared  at 
the  child  from  head  to  foot,  her  gaze 
resting  especially  on  the  red  kerchief  evi- 
dently full  of  something.  At  length  she 
burst  forth. 


228  HEIDI. 

"  What  sort  of  costume  is  this  ?  What 
does  the  whole  thing  mean  ?  Have  I  not 
strictly  forbidden  you  to  go  running  about 
the  streets  any  more  ?  Now  you  are  doing 
so  again,  and  looking  like  a  tramp  into  the 
bargain !  " 

"  I  am  not  going  to  stroll  about  the 
streets,  I  am  only  going  home  again," 
answered  Heidi,  a  little  frightened. 

"How?  What?  Go  home?  Do  you 
wish  to  go  home?"  Miss  Rottenmeier 
clasped  her  hands  in  her  agitation.  "  Do 
you  mean  to  run  away  ?  If  Mr.  Sesemann 
were  to  know  of  this!  Running  away 
from  his  house  !  Never  let  him  hear  of 
it !  Pray,  then,  what  does  not  suit  you 
here  ?  Have  you  not  been  far  better 
treated  than  you  deserved  ?  Do  you  miss 
anything  ?     Have  you  ever  in  your  life  had 


THINGS   DO   NOT  GO   SMOOTHLY.        229 

a  dwelling,  or  food,  or  service,  as  you  have 
had  here  ?     Speak,  I  say  !  " 

"  No,"  replied  Heidi. 

"  I  am  sure  of  that,"  continued  the 
housekeeper  angrily.  "  You  want  for 
nothing.  You  are  an  entirely  incompre- 
hensible, thankless  creature ;  and  for  sheer 
well-being,  you  do  not  know  what  mis- 
chief to  be  at  next." 

At  last  there  rose  up  in  Heidi's  heart 
all  that  had  been  surging  within  her,  and 
she  broke  out :  "I  must  and  will  go 
home ;  for  if  I  do  not.  Snowball  will  be 
always  crying,  and  the  grandmother  will 
get  no  white  bread,  and  Thistlebird  will 
be  whipped  because  goat- Peter  will  have 
no  more  cheese.  And  here  you  can't  see 
the  sun  say  good-night  to  the  mountains  ; 
and   if  the   eagle  was   to   fly  over   Frank 


230  HEIDI. 

fort,  he  would  scream  a  good  deil  loudei 
to  see  so  many  people  living  close  to- 
gether, and  making  each  other  wicked, 
instead  of  living  on  the  mountain,  and 
being  happy." 

"  Heaven  help  us !  the  child  has  gone 
crazy !  "  screamed  Miss  Rottenmeier,  as 
she  rushed  up  the  stairs  in  terror,  running 
not  at  all  gently  against  Sebastian,  who 
was  just  descending. 

**  Carry  that  wretched  child  up-stairs  at 
once,"  she  said  to  him,  while  she  rubbed 
her  head  ruefully ;  for  she  had  hit  her- 
self very  hard. 

"  Yes,  yes,  at  once.  Many  thanks," 
muttered  Sebastian,  while  he,  too,  rubbed 
his  pate  ;  for  he  had  suffered  most  in  the 
encounter. 

Heidi  stood  all  the  while   in  the   same 


THINGS   DO   NOT   GO   SMOOTHLY.         23  1 

place,   with    flashing   eyes,   and    trembhng 
all  over  with  emotion. 

"What!  Have  you  been  up  to  more 
mischief  ? "  asked  Sebastian  gayly  of  her. 
But  seeing  that  Heidi  did  not  move,  he 
looked  at  her  more  closely  for  a  moment, 
then,  patting  her  kindly  on  the  shoulder, 
said  consolingly:  "Fie,  fie!  The  litde 
mamselle  must  not  take  it  so  much  to 
heart.  Only  be  gay ;  that  is  the  best 
thing.  She  has  just  run  against  me,  and 
almost  made  a  hole  in  my  head ;  but 
we  must  not  be  frightened.  What  !  Are 
you  going  to  stay  in  that  one  spot  ? 
We  must  go  up-stairs.  She  has  ordered 
it." 

Heidi  went  up-stairs,  but  slowly  and 
heavily,  not  at  all  in  her  usual  way.  It 
made    Sebastian   sorry  to  see  her,  and  as 


232  HEIDI. 

they  went  he  spoke  encouragingly  to  her: 
"  Now  don't  give  way  !  Be  brave  !  Don't 
be  sad  !  She  has  always  been  s'jch  a 
good  little  mamselle,  never  crying  once 
since  she  has  been  with  us.  Generally 
children  cry  a  dozen  times  a  day  at  her 
age,  I  know  that.  The  kittens  are  all 
so  jolly  up-stairs  in  the  attic,  and  act  so 
droll !  We'll  go  up  there  soon,  when  she 
is  out  of  the  way,  shall  we  ? " 

Heidi  nodded  a  little  in  reply,  but  was 
so  sorrowful  that  it  went  straight  to  Sebas- 
tian's kind  heart,  and  his  eyes  followed  her 
very  sympathetically  as  she  moved  away 
to  her  own  room. 

At  dinner-time  the  housekeeper  did  not 
say  one  word,  but  kept  casting  wrathful 
glances  at  Heidi,  as  if  she  expected  some- 
thing extraordinary  to  break  out  even  while 


I 


she  ate  her  dinner  ;  but  the  child  sat  as 
still  as  a  mouse,  and  did  not  stir,  nor  eat, 
nor  drink,  only  stuck  her  roll  quickly  in 
her  pocket,  as  usual. 

The  next  day,  as  the  professor  came 
up-stairs,  Miss  Rottenmeier  beckoned  him 
into  the  dining-room  mysteriously,  and 
proceeded  to  confide  to  him  her  anxiety 
lest  the  change  of  air,  and  the  new  way 
of  life  and  strange  surroundings,  should 
have  affected  the  child's  brain.  She  told 
him  about  Heidi's  attempt  to  run  away, 
and  go  home ;  also  repeating  to  him  as 
much  of  her  conversation  as  she  could. 
The  professor,  however,  comforted  her  with 
the  assurance  that  he  had  convinced  him- 
self, by  observation,  that  although  Adel- 
heid  was  certainly  on  the  one  side  very 
eccentric,  yet  on  the  other    she  was    per- 


234  HEIDI. 

fectly  sane  ;  and  that  little  by  little,  by  a 
carefully  considered  education,  the  neces- 
sary balance  might  be  established,  which 
was  what  he  had  in  his  mind  to  effect. 
He  found  the  situation  somewhat  difficult, 
only  because  he  could  not,  thus  far,  get 
beyond  the  ABC. 

Miss  Rottenmeier  felt  calmed  by  this 
conversation,  and  released  the  professor 
to  his  duties.  Later  in  the  day  she  be- 
thought herself  of  the  strange  costume  in 
which  Heidi  appeared  when  arrayed  for 
her  journey,  and  she  decided  to  alter  some 
of  Ivlara's  dresses  for  the  child's  use,  that 
she  might  look  properly  dressed  when 
Mr.  Sesemann  returned.  Klara,  whom  she 
consulted  about  this  new  plan,  was  quite 
agreed,  and  gave  at  once  a  quantity  of 
dresses,  jackets,  and  hats  for  Heidi's  use. 


THINGS    DO   NOT   GO   SMOOTH  I. Y. 


-^JD 


The  housekeeper  now  repaired  to  Heidi's 
bedroom  to  inspect  her  wardrobe,  and 
decide  what  should  be  kept  and  what 
rejected.  In  a  few  minutes  she  returned, 
with  strong  signs  of  disgust  on  her  coun- 
tenance. 

"  What  have  I  discovered  now,  Adel- 
heid  ?  Something  that  was  never  before 
in  a  clothes-press !  A  clothes-press  is  for 
clothes,  Adelheid,  But  what  do  I  find  in 
the  bottom  of  yours  ?  A  heap  of  white 
rolls  !  Bread  !  bread  I  say,  Klara,  and 
such  a  pile  in  under  the  clothes !  Ti- 
nette  !  "  she  cried,  "  carry  away  all  that  old 
bread  out  of  the  press  in  Adelheid's  room ; 
and  the  old  straw  hat  that  lies  on  the 
table." 

"  No,  no  !  "  exclaimed  Heidi ;  "  I  must 
keep  the   hat,   and    the    rolls    are   for  the 


236  HEIDI. 

grandmother !  "  and  she  tried  to  run  after 
Tinette,  but  was  stopped  by  Miss  Rotten- 
meier. 

"  You  must  stay  where  you  are,"  was 
the  severe  order;  "and  the  rubbish  must 
be  thrown  away  where  it  belongs." 

Heidi  threw  herself  passionately  oh  the 
floor  by  Klara's  chair,  and  wept,  louder 
and  yet  louder,  sobbing  out,  in  her  dis- 
tress :  "  Now  I  have  no  rolls  at  all  for 
the  grandmother.  They  were  all  for  her ; 
and  now  they  are  thrown  away,  and  the 
grandmother  won't  get  them ; "  and  she 
cried  as  if  her  heart  would  break. 

Miss  Rottenmeier  ran  out  of  the  room, 
leaving  Klara  very  much  frightened  at  the 
distress  of  her  little  friend. 

"  Heidi  !  Heidi  !  "  she  said  entreatingly, 
"  do    not   cry  so.     Listen    to  me !     I   will 


THINGS   DO   NOT   GO   SMOOTHLY.         237 

give  you  just  as  many  rolls  for  the  grand- 
mother, and  even  more,  when  you  go 
home,  and  they  shall  be  fresh  rolls,  soft 
and  nice.  Yours  would  have  become  quite 
hard,  they  were  so  already.  Heidi,  listen, 
and  do  not  cry  an)-  more  !  " 

But  it  was  a  long  time  before  the  torrent 
of  grief  could  be  checked.  Heidi  under- 
stood what  Klara  said,  and  believed  in  her 
promise,  or  she  would  have  gone  on  for 
much  longer.  As  it  was,  she  had  to  be 
reassured  many  times  before  she  was  quite 
tranquil,  and  asked  every  now  and  then, 
"  You  will  give  as  many,  just  as  many  as 
I  had,  for  the  cfrandmother  ?  " 

And  Klara  repeated  kindly,  "Yes,  Heidi ! 
as  many,  and  more,  if  only  you  will  be 
happy  again." 

At  table  that  evening,  Heidi's  eyes  were 


238  HEIDI. 

red  from  crying ;  and  as  she  caug-ht  sight 
of  her  usual  roll,  she  began  again  to  sob. 
But  this  time  she  controlled  herself  with 
all  her  mio-ht,  for  she  understood  the  rule 
that  she  must  be  quiet  at  table.  Through- 
out the  meal  Sebastian  made  the  most 
wonderful  gestures  every  time  that  he 
came  into  Heidi's  neighborhood.  He 
pointed  first  to  her  head,  then  to  his 
own,  and  nodded  and  winked,  as  if  to 
say:  "Don't  be  down-hearted!  I  have 
looked  out  for  things,  and  it  is  all  right." 
When  the  child  went  to  her  room,  and 
was  about  to  climb  into  bed,  she  found 
tucked  away  under  the  coverlet  her  old 
crumpled  straw  hat.  She  pulled  the  be- 
loved thing  out,  and  hugged  it  for  joy, 
adding  thereby  another  dent ;  then  she 
wrapped   it  in  a  pocket  handkerchief,  and 


THINGS    DO   NOT   GO   S:\IOOTIII.V.  2^9 

Stuffed  it  in  the  farthest  corner  of  her 
press.  It  was  Sebastian  who  had  rescued 
the  hat  for  his  httle  friend.  He  had 
been  in  the  dining-room  with  Tinette  at 
the  moment  when  she  was  called  upon, 
and  had  heard  Heidi's  cry  of  anguish. 
When  Tinette  passed  through  the  room 
with  the  pile  of  rolls,  and  the  hat  on  the 
top  of  all,  he  had  snatched  the  latter,  say- 
inof,  "  I'll  take  care  of  this ! "  and  had 
saved  it  for  Heidi.  And  that  was  what 
his  pantomime  at  supper  meant. 


240  HEIDI. 


CHAPTER    IX. 

THE  MASTER  OF  THE  HOUSE  ARRIVES,  AND 
HEARS  ALL  SORTS  OF  THINGS  NOT  HEARD 
BY  HIM  BEFORE. 

Several  days  later  the  arrival  of  Mr, 
Sesemann  caused  a  great  commotion  in 
the  house.  There  was  much  running  up 
and  clown  stairs,  and  carrying  big  parcels 
and  boxes  here  and  there  ;  for  Mr.  Sese- 
mann always  brought  with  him  a  quantity 
of  beautiful  things  upon  his  return  home. 

He  himself  went  first  of  all  into  his 
daughter's  room,  to  get  his  kiss  of  wel- 
come, and  found  Heidi  sitting  beside  her; 
ic  vt  was  late  in  the  afternoon,  when  they 


THE  MASTER  OF  THE  HOUSE  ARRIVES.     24 1 

were  always  together.  Klara  greeted  her 
father  very  tenderly,  for  she  loved  him 
dearly ;  and  her  good  papa  returned  her 
kisses  with  equal  affection.  Then  he 
stretched  out  his  hand  towards  Heidi, 
who  had  quietly  withdrawn  into  a  corner, 
saying  in  a  friendly  tone :  "  And  this  is 
our  little  Swiss,  is  it  ?  Come  here,  let 
us  shake  hands.  That  is  right.  Now 
tell  me,  are  you  and  Klara  crood  friends 
together  ?  no  quarrelling,  no  ill-temper, 
no  crying  and  making  up,  and  then  be- 
ginning all  over  again?" 

"  No ;  Klara  is  always  good  to  me," 
said  Heidi. 

"  Heidi  never  loses  her  temper,  papa," 
added   Klara  quickly. 

"  Now  that  is  good  ;  that  pleases  me," 
'jaid  Mr.  Sesemann,  as  he  rose.     "  But  now 


242  HEIDI. 

you  must  allow  me  to  have  something  to 
eat,  as  I  have  had  nothing  to-day.  I  will 
come  in  later,  and  you  shall  see  what  J 
have  brought  you." 

Mr.  Sesemann  went  into  the  dining- 
room,  where  the  housekeeper  was  super- 
intending the  preparations  for  his  noon- 
day meal.  He  took  his  seat ;  and  she 
placed  herself  opposite,  w^ith  a  countenance 
of  such  dismal  import,  that  presently  the 
master  of  the  house  said,  after  waiting 
for  her  to  begin  :  "  Really,  my  dear  Miss 
Rottenmeier,  I  do  not  know  what  to  think. 
You  have  received  me  with  such  a  dole- 
ful face,  as  if  there  were  a  misfortune 
about  to  happen !  Pra)-,  what  is  amiss  ? 
Klara  seems  quite  cheerful." 

"  Mr.  Sesemann,"  began  the  lady,  with 
an  air  of  importance,  "  this  affair  concerns 


THE  MASTER  OF  THE  HOUSE  ARRIVES.  243 

Klara  as  well  as  myself.  We  have  been 
fearfully  deceived." 

"How  is  that?"  asked  the  gentleman, 
while  he  sipped  his  wine  very  unconcern- 
edly. 

"  We  had,  as  you  know,  decided  to  take 
a  playmate  for  Klara,  some  one  to  live 
with  us  ;  and  knowing  how  particular  you 
are  to  have  only  good  and  noble  compan- 
ionship for  your  daughter,  Mr.  Sesemann, 
I  had  set  my  mind  on  finding  a  young 
Swiss,  hoping  thus  to  secure  a  being  such 
as  we  read  of  in  literature,  sprung  from  the 
pure  mountain  breezes,  who  would  con- 
duct herself  as  if  she  had  no  contact, 
so  to  speak,  with  our  earth." 

"  I  have  always  believed,  for  my  own 
part,  that  the  children  of  Switzerland  walk 
on  the  ground  if  they  wish  to  go  about," 


244  HEIDI. 

said  Mr.  Sesemann  quite  seriously ;  "  other 
wise  would  they  not  have  been  provided 
with  wing-s  instead  of  feet  ?  " 

"  Oh,  Mr.  Sesemann,  you  know  what 
I  wish  to  say !  I  was  thinking  of  those 
inhabitants  of  the  higher  regions  who  are 
raised  above  us,  and  seem  to  be  purer, 
like  the  breath  of  an  ideal  creation." 

"  But  what  could  my  Klara  want  of  an 
ideal  breath?" 

"  No,  no !  I  am  not  joking.  Indeed, 
this  is  a  much  more  serious  affair  than 
you  have  any  idea  of.  I  have  been  fear- 
fully, really  fearfully,  deceived." 

"  But  where  is  there  anything  fearful  ? 
I  see  nothing  in  the  child  to  answer  to  that 
description,"  said  Mr.  Sesemann  calmly. 

"  You  must  know  one  thing,  Mr.  Sese- 
mann, and  one  is  enough.     The  child  has 


THE  MASTER  OK  THE  HOrsE  ARRIVES.     245 

introduced  the  strangest  men  and  beasts 
into  your  house  during  your  absence,  as 
the  professor  can  attest  to  you." 

"  Beasts !  How  am  I  to  understand  this, 
Miss  Rottenmeier?" 

'*  It  is  not  to  be  understood.  The 
whole  conduct  of  this  girl  is  incompre- 
hensible, except  upon  the  supposition  that 
she  has  attacks  of  insanity." 

Up  to  this  point,  Klara's  father  had  re- 
garded the  matter  as  of  slight  importance. 
But  attacks  of  insanity !  such  a  thing 
might  have  serious  consequences  for  his 
little  daughter.  He  looked  long  and 
steadily  at  his  housekeeper,  as  if  to  as- 
sure himself  that  she  was  not  the  person 
afflicted  with  the  attacks  she  was  describ- 
ing. At  this  moment  the  door  opened, 
and  the  professor  was  announced. 


246  ±i£IDl, 

"  Now  here  comes  our  learned  man.  He 
will  explain  this  mystery !  "  cried  Mr.  Sese- 
mann.  "  Come,  come  in  and  be  seated 
A  cup  of  coffee  for  the  professor,  Miss 
Rottenmeier,  if  you  please  ;  "  and  the  mas- 
ter of  the  house  extended  his  hand  to  the 
new-comer,  adding :  "  Seat  yourself  here, 
without  ceremony,  and  tell  me  at  once 
about  the  little  girl  that  has  come  as  a 
companion  for  my  daughter,  and  that  you 
are  teaching.  What  sort  of  fellow-feeling 
has  she  with  animals  that  brink's  them  to 
the  house  ?  and  is  there  anything  wrong 
with  her  mind  ?  " 

But  the  professor  must  first  express  his 
pleasure  at  Mr.  Sesemann's  return,  and 
congratulate  him,  and  welcome  him  home, 
for  which  purpose  he  himself  had  come. 
Impatiently  Mr.  Sesemann  pressed  him  to 


THE  MASTER  OF  THE  HOUSE  ARRIVES.     247 

forego  all  that,  and  to  give  him  his  opinion 
upon  the  point  in  question.  So  the  pro- 
fessor hcoan  in  this  wise :  "If  I  am  to 
be  calletl  upon  to  give  my  opinion  as 
to  the  condition  of  this  young  girl,  I 
should  wish  to  call  special  attention  to 
the  fact,  that  if  on  the  one  side  there 
seems  a  lack  of  development,  following 
naturally  upon  a  more  or  less  careless 
bringing  up,  or  more  properly  speaking, 
induced  by  a  somewhat  tardy  teaching, 
and  through  the  more  or  less,  though  not 
in  every  respect  to  be  condemned,  but  on 
the  contrary  having  its  advantages  —  " 

"  My  dear,  good  professor,"  interrupted 
Mr.  Sesemann  at  this  point,  "  you  give 
yourself  far  too  much  trouble.  Tell  me, 
simply,  has  the  child  done  anything  shock- 
ing in  the  way  of  bringing  strange  animals 


248  HEIDI. 

into  this  house  ?  and  what  do  you  think 
of  the  propriety  of  her  remaining  as  a 
companion  for  my  daughter  Klara?" 

"  I  should  not  hke,  on  any  account,  to 
be  thrown  too  much  with  the  child  my- 
self," again  began  the  professor,  "  for  she 
is  on  one  side  quite  inexperienced  in  all 
matters  concerning  society,  which  is  the 
case  with  all  those  more  or  less  uncivil- 
ized beinors  with  whom  this  child  has  lived 
until  the  moment  of  beine  transferred  to 
Frankfort ;  which  change  will  undoubtedly 
benefit  —  " 

"  Excuse  me,  professor,  pray  do  not  dis- 
turb yourself  I  shall  —  I  must  go  to  my 
daughter  for  a  moment." 

With  this  Mr.  Sesemann  made  his  es- 
cape, and  did  not  again  appear.  Joining 
his   daughter    in    the    study,    and    seating 


THE  MASTKR  OF  THK  HOUSK  ARRIVES.     249 

himself  beside  her  chair,  he  turned  towards 
Heidi.  "  Here,  Httle  one,"  he  said,  "  run 
and  fetch  me  —  stop  a  moment !  —  run  and 
get"  —  Mr.  Sesemann  wished  nothing  but 
to  get  the  child  out  of  the  way  for  a 
while  —  "oh,  get  me  a  glass  of  water!" 

"Fresh  water?"  asked  Heidi. 

"  Yes,  yes ;  nice  and  fresh." 

Heidi  disappeared. 

"  Now,  my  dear  little  Klara,"  said  her 
papa,  bending  over  his  daughter,  and  tak- 
ing her  hand  fondly,  "  tell  me  clearly,  and 
in  a  few  words,  what  kind  of  animals  has 
your  playfellow  brought  into  the  house, 
and  what  makes  Miss  Rottenmeier  think 
that  the  child  is  sometimes  not  right  in 
her  mind." 

Klara  knew  all  about  it ;  for  the  fright- 
ened   lady  had    repeated   to  her  some  of 


250  HEIDI. 

Heidi's  bewildering  speech,  a  speech  v/hich 
to  herself  was  quite  intelligible.  So  she 
explained,  quite  to  her  father's  satisfac- 
tion, and  told  him  about  the  tortoise  and 
the  kittens,  and  Heidi's  outburst  on  the 
doorsteps,  until  Mr.  Sesemann  laughed 
heartily. 

"Then  you  do  not  wish  the  child  away, 
Klara  ?     You  are  not  tired  of  her  ?  " 

"  Oh,  papa,  no,  indeed !  Do  not  think 
of  sending  her  away!  Since  Heidi  came, 
there  has  been  something  new  happening 
every  day ;  and  it  is  so  pleasant,  quite 
different  from  what  it  used  to  be.  Then 
nothing  ever  happened ;  and  Heidi  tells 
me  so  much  that  I  like." 

"Very  well,  my  child,  ver)'  well.  And 
here  comes  your  little  friend  again.  Well, 
have  you  brought  me  nice  fresh  water?" 


THE  MASTER  OF  THE  HOUSE  ARRIVES.     25  I 

"  Yes,  fresh  from  the  fountain,"  repHed 
the  child. 

"  Did  you  fetch  it  all  the  way  from  the 
fountain  yourself,  Heidi?"  asked  Klara. 

"  Yes,  I  did,  it  is  quite  fresh  ;  but  I  had 
to  go  a  long  way  to  get  it.  There  were 
so  many  people  at  the  first  fountain  that 
I  went  up  the  street,  and  then  there  were 
too  many  by  the  next  one.  Then  I  turned 
into  another  street,  and  there  I  got  the 
water ;  and  a  gentlolnan  with  white  haii 
sends  his  compliments  to  Mr.  Sesemann." 

"  Well  now,  the  expedition  was  a  suc- 
cessful one,"  laughed  Mr.  Sesemann;  "but 
who  was  the  ofentleman  ?  " 

"  He  was  passing  by  the  fountain,  and 
he  stopped  and  said  :  '  Since  you  have  a 
glass,  will  you  give  me  some  water  to 
drink  ?     Pray,  who   are    you    fetching    the 


252  HEIDI. 

water  for  ? '  And  I  said,  '  For  Mr.  S  ,6e- 
mann.'  Then  he  laughed  very  hard,  and 
said  he  hoped  you  would  enjoy  it." 

"Well,  who  was  it  that  wished  to  be 
remembered  to  me  ?     How  did  he  look  ?  " 

"  He  looked  pleasant,  and  he  had  a 
thick  gold  chain,  and  a  gold  thing  hung 
from  it  with  a  big  red  stone,  and  on  his 
stick  is  a  horse's  head." 

"That  is  the  doctor."  "That  is  my 
old  doctor,"  said  Mr.  Sesemann  and  his 
daughter  in  the  same  breath.  And  Mr. 
Sesemann  laughed  quietly  to  himself,  over 
his  friend's  reflections  as  to  his  new  way 
of  getting  his  supply  of  water. 

In  the  evening,  as  Mr.  Sesemann  sat 
in  the  diningf-room  alone  with  Miss  Rot- 
tenmeier,  talkino-  over  some  matters  relat- 
ing  to  the  household,  he  took  occasion  to 


THE  MASTER  OF  THE  HOUSE  ARRIVES.     25^ 

explain  that  Heidi  was  to  remain  in  his 
house  as  Klara's  companion  ;  for  he  found 
the  child  in  a  perfectly  normal  condition, 
while  his  daughter  was  much  pleased  with 
her  society,  and  preferred  it  to  any  other. 

"  I  also  wish,"  continued  Mr.  Sese- 
mann  with  still  more  decision  of  manner, 
"  that  this  child  should  from  this  time 
forth  be  most  kindly  treated,  and  that 
none  of  her  peculiarities  should  be  con- 
sidered as  misconduct.  If  you  cannot  man- 
age her  alone,  Miss  Rottenmeier.  there 
is  a  very  great  help  in  prospect  for  you. 
In  a  short  time  my  mother  will  be  here  to 
make  her  usual  visit ;  and  my  mother  can 
manage  anybody  if  she  attempts  it,  as  you 
know  very  w^ell,  I  think." 

"Ah,  yes!  I  know  that,  Mr.  Sesemann," 
replied  the  housekeeper,  but  not  with  a» 


254  HEIDI. 

expression  as  if  the  prospect  of  such  as- 
sistance were  very  welcome. 

Mr,  Sesemann's  stay  this  time  was  to 
be  a  very  short  one.  He  was  obHged  to 
go  back  to  Paris  at  the  end  of  a  fort- 
night ;  but  he  consoled  his  little  girl  with 
:he  prospect  of  the  speedy  arrival  of  her 
grandmamma,  who  was  expected,  as  he 
told  the  housekeeper,  in  a  few  days. 

Soon  after  his  departure  a  letter  came 
from  Holstein,  where  the  grandmamma 
lived  on  an  old  family  estate,  saying  that 
she  would  arrive  on  the  following  day, 
and  asking  that  the  carriage  should  be 
sent  to  the  station  to  meet  her. 

Klara's  joy  at  this  was  great.  She 
told  Heidi  so  much  and  so  minutely 
about  her  grandmamma,  that  the  child 
began  to  speak  of  her  by  the  same  name. 


THE  MASTER  OF  THE  HOUSE  ARRIVES.     2(^5 

■which  called  down  upon  her  die  sourest 
looks  from  Miss  Rottenmeier.  This,  how- 
ever, had  no  effect  upon  Heidi,  who  felt 
herself  to  be  under  the  continual  dis- 
pleasure of  that  lady.  When  she  went 
later  to  her  bedroom,  she  was  called  first 
into  the  housekeeper's,  and  there  told 
never  to  use  the  word  grandmamma 
again,  but  always  to  address  Mrs.  Sese- 
mann  as  gracious  lady. 

"  Do    you     understand  ? "     asked     Miss 
Rottenmeier,    seeinor    that     Heidi     looked 

'  <z> 

rather  doubtful,  and  gave  her  at  the  same 
time  so  determined  a  look,  that  Heidi  did 
not  dare  to  ask  for  an  explanation,  though 
she  had  no  idea  what  the  title  meant. 


256  HEIDI. 


CHAPTER    X. 

A  GRANDMAMMA. 

Busy  preparations  went  on,  the  day 
that  Mrs.  Sesemann  was  to  arrive.  It  was 
easy  to  perceive  that  the  expected  guest 
had  a  decided  control  over  the  household, 
and  that  every  one  felt  the  greatest  respect 
for  her.  Tinette  had  a  fine  new  white 
head-dress  for  the  occasion ;  and  Sebas- 
tian got  together  a  multitude  of  footstools, 
and  put  them  in  every  possible  place,  so 
that  the  lady  might  find  one  ready  wher- 
ever she  should  choose  to  be  seated. 
The  housekeeper  went  round  through  the 
rooms,    setting    everything    in    order ;    as 


A   GRANDMAMMA.  .257 

much  as  to  say,  that  although  another 
person  with  autliority  was  about  to  appear, 
she  was  not  to  be  extinguished. 

At  last  the  carriage  rolled  up  before  the 
house.  Tinette  and  Sebastian  ran  down 
the  stairs.  Slowly,  and  with  dignity.  Miss 
Rottenmeier  followed  ;  for  she  knew  that 
she  must  show  herself  ready  to  receive 
Mrs.  Sesemann.  Heidi  had  been  ordered 
to  withdraw  into  her  own  room,  to  wait 
until  she  was  sent  for ;  as  the  grand- 
mamma naturally  would  hasten  to  Klara, 
and  wish  to  be  alone  with  her.  Seating 
nerself  therefore  in  her  bedroom,  she  re- 
peated over  and  over  again  the  strange 
way  in  which  she  was  to  address  Mrs. 
Sesemann.  She  did  not  understand  it, 
for  she  had  always  heard  the  title  placed 
before    the   naine  and   not   after.     So   she 


258  HEIDI. 

presently  conceived  that  Miss  Rottenmeier 
had  but  tripped  in  her  speech,  and  she 
turned  the  words  about  accordingly.  She 
had  not  long  to  wait,  however ;  for  Tinette 
soon  appeared,  and  said  shortly,  as  usual, 
"  You  are  wanted  in  the  study." 

As  Heidi  opened  the  door,  she  was 
greeted  by  the  friendly  voice  of  Mrs.  Sese- 
mann  :  "Ah,  there  comes  the  child  !  Come 
here  to  me,  and  let  me  take  a  orood  look 
at  you."  Heidi  entered,  and  in  her  clear 
voice  said  ver)^  distinctly,  "  Good  day,  Mrs. 
Gracious." 

"  That  is  not  bad,"  said  the  grand- 
mamma, laughing.  "  Do  they  say  so 
where  you  live  ?  Have  you  heard  that 
at  home  on  the  Alp  ? " 

"  No,  there  is  no  one  of  that  name 
where  I  live,"  said  the  child  seriously. 


A   GRANDMAMMA.  259 

"  Nor  here,  that  I  know  of,"  said  Mrs. 
Sesemann  pleasant!)-,  and  patted  the  child 
on  the  cheek.  "In  the  nursery  I  am  al- 
\va}'s  grandmamma.  You  must  call  me 
so  too.     Can  you  remember  that  ? " 

"  Yes,  yes,  indeed !  I  was  going  to 
say  so,"  said   Heidi. 

"  Oh,  I  understand  now  ! "  the  grand- 
mamma said,  and  nodded  her  head,  much 
amused.  Then  she  looked  steadily  at  the 
little  8firl  for  some  time,  nodding  ao^ain  a.^i 
if  in  sign  of  approval  ;  and  Heidi  looked 
straight  into  the  kind  eyes  that  were  re- 
garding her,  and  felt  quite  happy.  She 
could  not  turn  away,  indeed,  Mrs.  Sese- 
mann had  such  soft  white  hair,  and  round 
her  head  a  beautiful  lace  was  twisted  with 
two  wide  ribbons  that  hung  down  from  the 
cap,  and  that  were  always  moving  a  little, 


26o  HEIDI. 

as  if  a  light  breeze  stirred  about  the  grand- 
mamma, to  Heidi's  infinite  delight. 

"And  what  is  your  name,  my  child?" 
was  the  next  question. 

"  My  name  is  Heidi ;  but  if  I  must  be 
called  Adelheid,  I  will  pay  attention,"  said 
the  little  girl,  and  choked  a  little  ;  for  she 
felt  guilty,  as  she  did  not  always  answer 
promptly  when  Miss  Rottenmeier  called 
her  by  that  name,  which  she  could  not 
rightly  recognize  as  hers. 

With  the  words  the  housekeeper  had 
entered  the  room.  "  Mrs.  Sesemann  will 
undoubtedly  agree  with  me,"  said  she, 
"  that  I  must  choose  a  name  that  can  be 
spoken  without  annoyance,  were  it  only 
on  the  servants'  account." 

"  My  good  Rottenmeier,"  said  Mrs. 
Sesemann,   "  if  any  one    is   called   Heidi, 


A  GRANDMAMMA.  26 1 

and  is  accustomed  to  the  name,  I  use  it, 
and  no  other." 

It  was  very  disagreeable  to  the  house- 
keeper to  be  called  by  her  simple  name, 
without  a  preceding  title  ;  but  there  was 
no  help  for  it.  The  grandmamma  had  her 
own  way  of  doing  things,  and  it  was  a  way 
not  to  be  opposed.  In  full  possession  of 
her  five  senses,  sharp  and  healthy  ones  too, 
was  Mrs.  Sesemann  ;  and  the  moment  she 
saw  the  child  she  knew  what  was  amiss 
with  her. 

When  Klara,  on  the  day  after  her 
grandmamma's  arrival,  disposed  herself  for 
her  daily  rest,  the  old  lady  took  an  arm- 
chair near  her,  and  closed  her  eyes,  too, 
for  a  few  moments.  She  soon  rose  again, 
however,  for  she  was  quickly  refreshed. 
She   went   into   the   diiiino-room ;    no   one 


262  HEIDI. 

was  to  be  seen.  "  Oh  !  all  asleep,"  she  said 
to  herself,  and  went  to  the  housekeeper's 
room,  and  knocked  loudly.  After  a  little 
while  Miss  Rottenmeier  appeared,  and 
started  back  in  alarm  at  this  unexpected 
visit. 

"  Where  does  the  child  stay  at  this 
time,  and  what  does  she  do  ?  that  is  what 
I  wish  to  know,"  said  Mrs.  Sesemann. 

"  She  sits  in  her  bedroom,  where  she 
might  employ  herself  if  she  knew  how, 
or  had  the  slightest  idea  of  anything 
useful.  But  Mrs.  Sesemann  ought  to 
know  what  mad  projects  the  child  gets 
up  one  after  another,  and  often  carries 
out  too,  things  that  in  polite  society  can 
scarcely  even  be  mentioned." 

"That  is  just  what  I  sliould  do,  if  I 
were   obliged    to    sit    alone    there    as  that 


A   GR.•\NnMAM^lA.  263 

child  does  ;  then  )ou  might  see  how  you 
would  speak  of  my  goings-on  in  polite  so- 
ciety. Go  now  and  fetch  the  child  to  me 
in  my  room,  where  I  have  some  pretty 
books  that  I   have  brought  with  me." 

"  That  is  the  most  miserable  thing  about 
it,  that  is  just  it,"  cried  Miss  Rottenmeier, 
and  clasped  her  hands  together.  "What 
can  that  child  do  with  books?  In  all  this 
time  she  has  not  learned  her  alphabet. 
It  is  impossible  to  give  her  the  least  idea 
of  reading.  The  professor  can  tell  you 
all  about  that.  If  that  man  did  not  pos- 
sess the  patience  of  an  angel  from  heaven, 
he  would  have  given  up  the  lessons  long 
ago." 

"  Now,  that  strikes  me  as  strange,"  said 
Mrs.  Sesemann.  "The  little  girl  does 
not    look    like    one  who    could    not    learn 


264  HEIDI. 

her  letters.  Go  and  fetch  her ;  she  can 
at  least  look  at  the  pictures," 

Miss  Rotten rneier  had  still  more  to 
say,  but  Pvlrs.  Sesemann  was  already  mov- 
ing briskly  toward  her  own  room.  She 
was  greatly  surprised  at  this  account  of 
the  child's  backwardness,  and  determined 
to  find  out  what  it  meant,  but  not  from 
the  professor,  whose  excellent  character 
she  prized  highly,  and  to  whom  she 
always  extended  a  friendly  greeting  when 
they  met,  but  whose  presence  she  fled 
for  fear  of  being  entangled  in  conversa- 
tion with  him ;  for  his  way  of  expressing 
himself  was  a  little  tiresome  to  her. 

Heidi  came  into  the  grandmamma's 
room,  and  opened  wide  eyes  when  she 
saw  all  the  beautiful  pictures  in  the  big 
books   on   Mrs.    Sesemann's   table.     Sud- 


A   GRANDMAMMA.  265 

denly  she  cried  out  as  a  leaf  was  turned, 
and  looked  with  eager  eyes  at  the  pic- 
ture before  her,  then  broke  forth  into 
tears  and  heavy  sobs.  The  grandmamma 
examined  the  picture.  It  was  a  beauti- 
ful green  field,  where  all  sorts  of  animals 
were  feeding,  and  nibbling  at  the  green 
bushes.  In  the  midst  stood  the  shep- 
herd leaning  on  his  crook,  and  survey- 
ing his  happy  flocks.  Ever)^thing  was 
flooded  with  a  shining,  golden  radiance, 
for  the  sun  was  just  sinking  behind  the 
horizon. 

Taking  the  child  kindly  by  the  hand, 
the  grandmamma  said  soothingly:  "Come, 
come,  my  child,  do  not  cry.  This  has 
probably  reminded  you  of  something. 
But  look,  there  is  a  pretty  story  all  about 
the     picture.     I    will    tell    it    to    you    this 


266  HEIDI. 

evening.  There  are  all  sorts  of  nice 
stories  in  this  book,  that  one  can  read 
and  tell  over.  Now  let  us  have  a  little 
talk  together.  There,  dry  your  eyes,  and 
put  yourself  here  right  in  front  of  me,  so 
that  I  can  look  at  you.  Yes,  that  is  right ; 
now  we  are  happy." 

It  was  some  time,  however,  before  Heidi 
was  tranquil  again.  Then  the  grand- 
mamma said :  "  Now  tell  me,  my  child, 
how  do  you  like  your  lessons  with  the 
professor?  Do  you  learn  easily,  and  have 
you  got  on  well  ?  " 

"  Oh,  no,"  answered  Heidi,  sighing,  "  but 
I  knew  beforehand  that  I  could  not  learn." 

"Why  cannot  you  learn,  child?  What 
do  you  mean  ? " 

"That  some  people  cannot  learn  to 
read.     It  is  too  hard." 


A   GRANDMAMMA.  267 

"  Indeed !  and  where  did  you  pick  up 
this  wonderful  piece  of  news  ? " 

"  Peter  told  me  so,  and  he  knows  very 
well.  He  has  to  keep  trying ;  but  he 
never  can  learn,  it  is  too  hard." 

"  Well,  that  must  be  a  queer  kind  of  a 
Peter !  But  really,  Heidi,  you  must  not 
take  for  granted  what  such  a  Peter  as  that 
says,  but  must  try  for  yourself.  Perhaps 
you  have  not  given  close  attention  to  v/hat 
the  professor  says,  and  have  not  looked 
at  the  letters." 

"  It  is  no  use,"  said  the  child,  in  the 
tone  of  one  thoroughly  convinced  of  the 
uselessness  of  trying. 

"  Heidi,"  said  Mrs.  Sesemann  gravely,  "  I 
am  going  to  tell  you  something.  You  have 
not  learned  to  read  because  you  have 
believed  what  your  Peter  said.     Now  you 


268  HEIDI. 

must  believe  me  ;  and  I  tell  you,  without 
doubt,  that  you  can  learn  to  read,  and 
in  a  short  time  too,  as  all  children  do  who 
are  like  you,  and  not  like  Peter.  And  now 
hear  what  will  come  next,  when  you  have 
learned  to  read.  You  saw  the  shepherd 
in  the  beautiful  green  meadow  ?  Now,  as 
soon  as  you  have  learned  to  read,  you 
shall  havQ  that  book ;  and  then  you  can 
understand  the  whole  story  just  as  if 
some  one  told  it  to  you,  all  about  what 
he  does  with  his  sheep  and  goats,  and 
what  wonderful  things  happen  to  him 
and  them.  That  you  would  like  to  know, 
I  am  sure," 

The  child  had  listened  with  sparkling 
eyes  to  all  that  had  been  said,  and  now 
replied,  with  deep-drawn  breath,  "  Oh,  if 
I  only  could  read ! " 


A  GRANDMAMMA.  26^ 

"  That  will  soon  come.  You  will  not 
have  to  wait  long,  my  child  ;  I  see  you 
will  only  have  to  try.  But  now  we  must 
go  to  Klara.  Come,  we  will  take  the 
pretty  books  with  us." 

A  great  change  had  taken  place  in 
Heidi,  since  the  day  when  Miss  Rotten- 
meier  had  stopped  her  on  the  steps  in  her 
flight  towards  her  home.  The  housekeeper 
had  told  her  then  that  she  was  very  un- 
grateful, and  that  Mr.  Sesemann  must 
never  know  about  it.  She  understood 
that  she  could  not  go  home  again  when- 
ever she  wished,  as  her  aunt  Dete  had 
assured  her  she  could,  and  that  Mr.  Sese- 
mann would  be  displeased  with  her  for 
wishing  to  go ;  and  she  reasoned  in  her 
own  mind  that  Klara  and  her  grandmamma 
would   think   the   same.     So  she    did    not 


270  HEIDI. 

dare  to  tell  any  one  of  her  longing,  for 
fear  of  making  the  grandmamma,  who  was 
so  kind  to  her,  and  whom  she  loved  dearly 
already,  as  angry  as  Miss  Rottenmeier  had 
been.  The  thought  of  that  the  child  could 
not  endure. 

So  the  burden  within  Heidi's  heart  be- 
came heavier  and  still  heavier.  She  could 
not  eat,  and  she  grew  paler  ever)-  day.  At 
night  it  was  often  a  long  time  before  she 
could  get  to  sleep  ;  for  as  soon  as  every- 
thing was  quiet,  the  Aim  and  the  sun- 
shine upon  it,  and  the  flowers,  came  so 
vividly  before  her  eyes.  And  when  she  at 
last  slept,  the  red  pinnacles  of  F"alkniss, 
and  the  fiery  snow^-field  on  Casaplana, 
came  to  her  in  her  dreams ;  and  she 
awoke  full  of  jo)-,  ready  to  spring  out  of 
bed,    and    then  —  oh,   it  was  the  big"  bed 


A   GRANDMAMMA.  27  I 

fn  Frankfort,  far.  far  away  from  home,  and 
she  could  not  get  back !  Then  she  hid 
her  fac°  in  her  pillow,  and  cried  for  a  long 
time,  but  quietly,  so  that  no  one  could 
hear  her. 

Her  unhappy  condition  did  not,  however, 
escape  the  vigilant  eyes  of  Mrs.  Sesemann. 
She  let  several  days  elapse,  to  see  if  the 
depression  did  t^ot  pass  ;  but  this  not  being 
the  case,  and  the  child's  eyes  betraying 
often  in  the  early  morning  that  she  had 
bce-n  weeping,  she  took  Heidi  one  day 
into  her  room  agsin,  and  said,  with  great 
kindness,  "  Tell  me,  Heidi,  what  is  your 
trouble  ?  " 

But  this  ofood  c-iandmamma  must  not 
know^  what  an  ungrattful  child  she  had 
before  her,  thought  Heidi,  and  feared  to 
lose  her  love.  So  she  J^aid  sadly,  "  It  isn't 
anything  that  I  can  tell." 


272  HEIDI. 

"No?     Cannot  you  tell  Klara?" 

"  Oh,  no  ;  not  anybody  !  "  and  Heidi 
looked  so  miserable  all  the  while  that  Mrs. 
Sesemann's  heart  ached  for  her. 

"  Then  I  will  tell  you  something,  my 
child.  When  any  one  has  a  sorrow  that 
cannot  be  told  to  anybody  on  earth,  it 
must  be  confided  to  the  good  God,  and 
he  must  be  asked  for  help 'and  comfort, 
for  he  can  make  our  sorrows  lighter, 
and  teach  us  to  bear  them.  You  under- 
stand, do  you  not  ?  You  pray  every  even- 
ing to  the  dear  Father  in  heaven,  to  thank 
him  for  all  that  he  sends  you,  and  ask  him 
to  protect  you  from  evil  ? " 

"  No,  I  never  do  that,"  said  Heidi. 

"  Have  you  never  learned  to  pray, 
Heidi?     Don't  you  know  what  it  is?" 

"With  my  first  grandmother  I  did.  but 


A   GRANDVAMMA.  27^^ 

it  is  SO  long  ago  that  I  have  forgotten 
about  it." 

"  Now  I  see,  Heidi,  why  you  are  so  very 
unhappy.  It  is  because  you  do  not  know 
of  any  one  who  can  help  you.  Just  think 
how  happy  it  is  for  those  who  have  heavy 
hearts  to  be  able  to  go  to  the  good  God  at 
all  times,  and  beg  him  for  help !  and  he 
can  help  us,  and  make  us  happy  again." 

Through  Heidi's  eyes  flashed  a  joyful 
light:  "Can  we  tell  him  everything? 
everything  ?  " 

"  Everything,   Heidi,  everything." 

Drawing  her  little  hand  out  of  the 
grandmamma's,  the  child  asked  breath- 
lessly, "  May  I  go  ?  " 

And  the  little  one  ran  quickly  to  her 
room,  seated  herself  on  her  footstool, 
folded  her  hands,  and  told  all  the  sorrow 


2  74  fililDl. 

of  her  heart  to  God,  begging  and  be- 
seeching him  to  help  her  to  get  away,  to 
go  home  to  her  grandfather  on  the  Aim. 

It  may  have  been  something  more  than 
a  week  from  this  time  that  the  professor 
one  day  asked  permission  to  pay  his  re- 
spects to  Mrs.  Sesemann,  as  he  had  an 
important  communication  to  impart  to  her. 
He  was  invited  to  her  room,  and  kindly 
greeted  by  Mrs.  Sesemann,  who  extended 
her  hand  cordially  toward  him,  saying: 
*'  My  dear  professor,  I  am  glad  to  see 
you.  Be  seated,  pray!"  and  she  gave  him 
a  chair.  "There  now,  tell  me  what  brings 
you  here.  No  bad  news,  I  trust  ?  No 
complaints  ?  " 

"  On  the  contrary,  gracious  lady,  some- 
thing has  taken  place  that  I  did  not  ex- 
pect,   and    that    no    one    who    had    been 


A   GRANDMAMMA.  275 

cognizant  of  what  has  gone  before  could 
have  foreseen  ;  for  judging  from  the  past, 
it  would  have  been  considered  an  impos- 
sibihty,  and  yet  it  has  taken  place,  and 
that;  too,  in  a  most  remarkable  way," 

"  Has  Heidi  begun  to  learn  to  read, 
professor  ?  " 

The  astonished  o"entleman  stared  at  Mrs. 
Sesemann  in  speechless  surprise. 

"  It  is  truly  wonderful,"  said  he,  at  length 
finding  his  voice,  "  that  this  girl,  who  not- 
withstanding all  my  pains  has  not  been 
able  to  learn  the  alphabet,  has  all  at  once, 
and  just  as  I  had  decided  to  give  up,  as 
impossible  of  achievement,  the  attempt 
even  of  bringing  the  simple  letters  before 
her  —  this  girl  all  at  once,  over  ni\(ht,  so 
to  speak,  has  begun  to  read,  and  th.-^^t  too 
with  a  correctness  that    is  rare   in  begn- 


"^1^  HEIDI. 

ners.  But  it  is  almost  as  wonderful  to 
me  that  the  gracious  lady  should  have 
divined  this  obscure  fact." 

"A  great  many  wonderful  things  take 
place  in  this  world,  professor,"  said  Mrs. 
Sesemann,  with  a  smile  of  satisfaction. 
"  Two  things  sometimes  take  place  at  the 
same  time,  —  a  new  desire  to  learn,  say, 
and  a  new  method  of  teaching.  Neither 
of  them  is  bad,  my  dear  professor;  and 
we  will  rejoice  that  the  child  has  beo-un 
so  well,  and  hope  for  continuance  in  well- 
doing." 

With  these  words  she  accompanied  the 
professor  to  the  door,  and  went  straight  to 
the  study,  to  confirm  with  her  own  eyes 
the  pleasant  news. 

It  was  true.  There  sat  Heidi  by  Klara's 
side,  reading  a  story,  astonished    even   at 


A   GRANDMAMMA.  277 

herself,  and  penetrating  with  constantly  in- 
creasing interest  the  new  world  that  had 
opened  before  her,  as  suddenly  the  black 
letters  turned  into  men  and  things,  taking 
life,  and  revealing  wonderful  stories. 

And  on  that  ver}'  evening,  when  Heidi 
took  her  seat  at  table,  there,  on  her  plate, 
lay  the  beautiful  book ;  and  when  she 
glanced  inquiringly  towards  Mrs.  Sese- 
mann,  the  latter  said  kindly,  "Yes,  yes; 
it  is  yours." 

"  Forever,  even  when  I  go  home  ? " 
asked   Heidi,  quite  red  with  joy. 

"  Yes,  certainly,  forever.  To-morrow  we 
will  begin  to  read  it." 

*'  But  you  will  not  go  home  for  many 
years  yet,  Heidi,"  said  Klara.  "When 
my  grandmamma  goes  away,  then  you  will 
really  begin  to  live  with  me." 


278  HEIDI. 

Once  more,  before  going  to  sleep,  Heidi 
looked  at  the  new  book  in  her  own  room  ; 
and  always  after,  it  was  her  favorite  occu- 
pation to  read  and  re-read  the  stories  that 
belonged  to  the  beautiful  colored  pictures. 
If  the  grandmamma  said  in  the  evening, 
"  Now,  Heidi,  read  something  to  us,"  then 
the  child  was  perfectly  happy ;  for  it  was 
now  quite  easy  for  her  to  read,  and  when 
she  read  aloud  she  understood  better ; 
and  then  Mrs.  Sesemann  could  explain  so 
much,  and  added  so  much  that  was  new^ 
The  favorite  picture  was  always  the  green 
pasture,  with  the  shepherd  in  the  midst  of 
his  flock,  leaning  on  his  crook,  and  look- 
ing so  happy.  He  took  care  of  the  sheep 
and  goats  because  they  were  his,  and  he 
loved  them.  But  the  next  picture  was 
where  he  had  run  away  from  his  father's 


A   GRANDMAMMA.  279 

house,  and  was  in  foreign  lands,  and  was 
forced  to  feed  swine,  and  had  crrown  thin 
over  the  husks ;  for  he  got  nothing  else 
to  eat.  And  in  this  picture  the  sun  did 
not  look  golden,  and  the  land  was  gray 
and  misty.  One  other  picture  belonged 
to  the  story.  There  the  old  father  came 
with  outstretched  arms  from  the  house, 
and  ran  towards  the  repentant  son  to 
receive  and  welcome  him,  as  ragged  and 
famished  he  drew  near  his  home. 

This  was  Heidi's  favorite  story,  that  she 
would  read  again  and  again,  aloud  and  to 
herself;  and  she  never  tired  of  the  explana- 
tions that  Mrs.  Sesemann  gave  of  it  to 
the  children. 

So  the  time  drew  near,  all  too  quickly, 
when  the  dear  p^randmamma's  visit  must 
come  to  an  end. 


28o  HEIDI. 


CHAPTER    XI. 

HEIDI     LOSES     ON     ONE     SIDE,    AND    GAINS     ON 
THE    OTHER. 

During  Klara's  afternoon  rest,  ]\lrs. 
Sesemann  always  seated  herself  beside 
her,  and  closed  her  eyes  also.  Miss  Rot- 
tenmeier  had  a  way  of  disappearing  at  the 
same  time,  probably  also  needing  repose. 
But  the  grandmamma's  nap  was  very  short, 
and  she  always  called  Heidi  into  her  room, 
and  either  talked  with  the  child,  or  occu- 
pied her  with  work  of  various  kinds.  She 
had  brought  a  variety  of  pretty  little  dolls 
with  her,  and  showed  Heidi  how  to  make 
dresses  and  aprons  for  them  ;  and  without 


HEIDI    LOSES   AND   GAINS.  261 

realizing  it  the  child  had  learned  to  sew, 
and  could  make  for  the  little  women  the 
prettiest  dresses  and  mantles.  For  the 
grandmamma  had  also  provided  bits  of 
cloth,  of  the  loveliest  colors. 

Now  that  the  child  could  read,  she  was 
permitted  to  read  aloud  to  Mrs.  Sesemann, 
and  the  more  stories  she  read  the  more 
she  enjoyed,  and  lived  over  everything 
related  in  the  books,  as  if  she  were  in  the 
place  of  those  described,  and  was  always 
glad  to  be  with  them  again,  and  threw 
herself  into  their  lives  as  if  it  were  all 
real.  But  Heidi  was  never  really  happy 
as  of  old,  and  her  eyes  never  regained 
their  former  brightness. 

It  was  now  the  last  week  of  Mrs,  Sese- 
mann's  stay  in  Frankfort ;  and  one  day, 
as  Heidi  came  into  the  room  with  her  big 


262  HEIDI. 

book  under  her  arm,  the  grandmamma 
motioned  her  to  put  it  down  and  come 
nearer  to  her,  and  said  gravely,  but  kindly : 
"  Now  tell  me,  my  child,  why  you  are  not 
gay.  Have  you  still  that  trouble  in  your 
heart?" 

"  Yes,"  said  the  little  girl. 

"  Have  you  prayed  to  God  to  help 
you  : 

"  Yes." 

"  And  do  you  pray  to  him  every  day, 
that  he  will  make  it  all  right  for  you,  and 
let  you  be  happy  ?  " 

"  No,  I  do  not  pray  any  more  now." 

"What  do  you  say,  Heidi?  Do  I  hear 
right  ?    Why  do  you  not  pray  any  longer  ?  " 

"  It  did  not  do  any  good.  The  kind 
Father  in  heaven  did  not  listen  ;  and  I  can 
understand,"  continued  she,  in  some  excite- 


HEIDI   LOSES   AND   GAINS.  283 

ment,  "  that  if  so  many  people  pray  every 
evening  in  Frankfort,  all  at  the  same  time, 
of  course  the  good  God  cannot  listen  to 
them  all,  and  so  he  must  have  forgotten 
me." 

"  And  why  are  you  so  sure  of  that, 
Heidi?" 

"  I  have  asked  every  day  for  the  same 
thing  many  weeks  together,  and  the  good 
God  has  not  given  it  to  me." 

"  But  that  will  not  do  at  all,  my  child. 
That  is  not  the  right  way  to  do.  The  good 
God  is  a  dear  father  to  us  all,  and  always 
knows  what  is  best  for  us,  though  we  may 
not  know  ourselves.  If  we  pray  to  him 
to  give  us  something  that  is  not  good 
for  us,  he  does  not  grant  it,  but  sends  us 
something  better ;  that  is,  if  we  continue 
to  pray  to  him,  and  do  not   run  off,  and 


284  HEIDI. 

lose  all  confidence  in  his  goodness.  You 
must  believe  that  the  thing  you  prayed  for 
is  not  good  for  you  now.  God  heard  you  ; 
he  can  hear  everybody  at  the  same  time, 
because  he  is  the  good  heavenly  Father, 
and  not  a  mere  mortal  like  you  and  me. 
And  as  he  knows  what  is  best  for  you.  he 
thinks :  Yes,  Heidi  shall  some  time  have 
what  she  is  praying  for,  but  not  until  it 
is  good  for  her,  not  until  she  can  really 
enjoy  it,  and  be  happy  over  it ;  for  if  I  do 
it  for  her  now,  and  she  sees  later  that  it 
would  have  been  better  if  I  had  not  oranted 
her  prayer,  then  she  will  cr}/  still  more,  and 
say :  '  Oh,  I  wish  that  God  had  not  given 
me  what  I  prayed  for !  It  was  not  so 
good  as  I  thought.' 

"And  now,  while  your  Father  in  heaven 
was  looking  down  on  you,  to  see  if  you 


HEIDI   LOSES   AND   GAINS.  285 

really  trusted  in  him.  and  prayed  to  him 
in  your  trouble,  all  at  once  you  have 
stopped  praying,  and  have  forgotten  him 
and  his  goodness.  But  if  the  good  God 
hears  no  longer  the  voice  of  any  of  his 
children  praying,  he  too  forgets  them,  and 
lets  them  go  their  own  way.  And  if  things 
go  wrong  with  them,  and  they  complain, 
'  No  one  will  help  us ! '  then,  indeed,  no- 
body does  pity  them,  and  everybody  says, 
'Why,  then,  did  you  run  away  from  the 
good  God,  who  is  the  only  one  who  can 
help  you  ? ' 

"  Will  you  be  like  these,  Heidi  ?  or  will 
you  go  again  to  God  and  pray  for  forgive- 
ness, and  continue  to  pray  every  day,  and 
put  your  trust  in  him,  that  he  will  do 
what  is  good  for  you,  and  make  you 
happy  again  ? " 


286  HEIDI. 

The  child  had  listened  intently.  Every 
word  that  the  grandmamma  said  fell  deep 
into  her  heart,  for  Heidi  had  perfect  faith 
in  her  kind  friend. 

"  I  will  go  this  instant,"  she  said,  "  and 
beg  the  good  God  for  forgiveness,  and  I 
will  never  forget  him  again." 

The  end  of  Mrs.  Sesemann's  visit  had 
come,  and  a  sad  time  it  was  for  the  two 
little  girls.  The  grandmamma  made  it  as 
merry  as  possible,  until  she  was  fairly  off  in 
the  carriage.  Then  such  a  feeling  of  lone- 
liness fell  on  the  children  that  they  sat  still, 
feeling  lost  and  forlorn,  and  did  not  know 
what  to  do  with  themselves. 

After  lessons  the  next  day,  when  the 
hour  came  for  the  children  to  be  together, 
Heidi  brought  her   book  under  her  arm, 


HEIDI   LOSES   AND   GAINS.  28/ 

and  said,  "  Now  I  will  always  read  to  you  , 
may  I,  Klara?  " 

Klara  agreed  to  the  proposal,  and  Heidi 
set  herself  with  zeal  to  her  task.  But 
the  pleasure  did  not  last  very  long ;  for 
Heidi  began  unfortunately  with  a  story 
about  a  sick  and  dying  grandmother,  and 
she  began  to  cr)'  in  great  distress ;  for  she 
thought  everything  she  read  must  be  true, 
and  that  it  was  the  blind  grandmother  in 
Dorfli  who  was  dying,  and  her  distress 
increased  the  more  she  thought  of  it. 

"  Now  the  grandmother  is  dead,"  she 
sobbed,  "  and  I  cannot  go  to  see  her, 
and  she  has  never  had  a  single  roll  of 
white  bread  !  " 

Klara  tried  to  comfort  her,  and  to 
explain  that  the  story  had  nothing  to  do 
with  the  grandmother  on  the  Aim,  but  was 


?88  HEIDI. 

about  another  person  altogether.  But  she 
did  not  succeed  in  calming  Heidi's  excite- 
ment ;  for  the  thought  had  entered  the 
child's  mind  that  her  aged  friend  might 
die  while  she  was  far  away,  and  her  grand- 
father even,  if  she  staid  in  Frankfort  for 
a  lonof  time.  And  she  thoucrht  how  still 
and  dead  everything  would  be  on  the 
Aim,  and  that  she  would  have  to  li\e 
there  alone,  and  never  again  see  anybody 
whom  she  loved. 

While  Heidi  thus  lamented.  Miss  Rot- 
tenmeier  had  come  into  the  room,  and 
heard  Klara's  kind  efforts  to  quiet  her 
little  companion  ;  but  as  Heidi  could  not 
stay  her  tears,  the  housekeeper  at  last, 
with  signs  of  great  impatience,  said  most 
decidedly:  "  Adelhcid,  now  this  senseless 
outcry  has  gone  on  long  enough.     I  tell 


HEIDI    LOSES   AND   GAINS.  289 

you,  once  for  all,  if  you  ever  again  burst 
out  crying  in  this  way,  I  will  take  your 
book  from  you,  and  you  shall  never  have 
it  again." 

This  had  the  desired  effect.  Heidi 
became  perfectly  white  from  terror ;  the 
book  was  her  dearest  treasure.  She  dried 
her  eyes  in  haste,  and  controlled  her 
sobs  with  all  her  might,  so  that  no  sound 
could  be  heard.  And  never  again  did 
she  cr}'  aloud,  no  matter  what  she  might 
read.  But  sometimes  she  had  to  make 
such  efforts  to  control  herself  and  not 
to  cry  out,  that  Klara  would  say,  quite 
astonished,  "Why  do  you  make  such  faces, 
Heidi?" 

But  at  any  rate  the  faces  made  no 
noise,  and  Miss  Rottenmeier  did  not  hap- 
pen to  observe  them  ;  and  when  the  child 


290  HEIDI. 

had  overcome  an  attack  of  despairing 
sadness  she  became  more  quiet  for  sev- 
eral days. 

With  all  this,  moreover,  she  lost  her 
appetite,  grew  pale  and  thin  ;  and  Sebas- 
tian could  hardly  bear  to  see  how  she 
allowed  the  daintiest  morsels  to  go  away 
untasted,  for  she  ate  almost  nothing.  He 
often  whispered  encouragingly  to  her  as 
he  passed  a  dish :  "  Take  a  bit,  little 
mamselle ;  it  is  delicious,  it  really  is !  A 
good  big  spoonful,  just  one ; "  but  such 
fatherly  advice  availed  nothing.  Heidi 
could  not  eat ;  and  when  she  lay  down 
on  her  pillow  at  night,  she  saw  before 
her  eyes  that  which  she  was  longing  for 
all  day,  and  lay  there  and  cried  herself  to 
sleep  for  homesickness. 

And  so  a  long  time  passed  by.     Heidi 


HEIDI    LOSES   AND   GAINS  29I 

scarcely  knew  whether  it  was  summer  or 
winter,  for  walls  and  windows  were  all 
that  was  visible  from  the  Sesemann  house, 
and  they  were  always  the  same  ;  and  she 
only  went  out  when  Klara  was  especially 
well,  and  could  take  a  drive,  which  indeed 
was  always  ver)-  short,  for  the  delicate  girl 
could  not  bear  the  fatigue  for  any  length 
of  time.  Therefore  they  rarely  got  beyond 
the  walls  and  paved  streets,  where  houses 
and  people  were  to  be  seen  in  plenty, 
but  no  grass  nor  flowers,  no  pine-trees 
nor  mountains.  And  Heidi's  long-ino-  for 
the  beautiful  accustomed  sights  grew  so 
strong,  that  anything  that  suggested  them 
to  her  remembrance  nearly  brought  on  a 
fit  of  crying  ;  and  the  child  had  to  strug- 
gle to  control  herself  harder  than  ever. 
So   the   winter   went   by,   and   the    sun 


/92  HEIDI. 

shone  so  warmly  and  so  dazzlingly  upon 
the  white  walls  opposite,  that  Heidi  knew 
that  the  time  was  come  when  Peter  went 
up  to  the  mountain  pasture  with  the 
goats,  where  the  golden  buttercups  glis- 
tened in  the  sunshine,  and  in  the  evening 
everything  glowed  with  rosy  light.  Then 
she  would  seat  herself  in  a  corner  of  her 
lonely  bedroom,  and  hold  her  two  hands 
over  her  eyes  so  that  she  could  not  see 
the  sunshine  on  the  wall,  and  sit  there 
motionless,  stifling  her  speechless  home 
sickness,  until  Klara  sent  lor  her. 


THE  SESEMANN   HOUSE  IS   HAUNTED.      293 


CHAPTER    XII. 

THE    SESEMANN    HOUSE    IS    HAUNTED. 

About  this  time,  Miss  Rottenmeier  de- 
veloped a  habit  of  wandering  silently,  sunk 
in  thought,  about  the  house.  And  if  she 
went  in  the  twilio-ht  from  one  room  to 
another,  or  through  the  corridors,  she 
looked  round  about  her  towards  the  cor- 
ners, and  then  quickly  behind,  as  if  she 
thought  some  one  might  come  quietly 
along  and  pull  her  dress  without  being 
seen.  But  she  did  not  go  about  alone  ex- 
cept in  the  rooms  where  the  family  lived. 
If  she  had  business  that  called  her  up- 
stairs,   where    the    handsomely    furnished 


294  HEIDI. 

guest-rooms  were,  or  had  anything  in  the 
lower  part  of  the  house  to  attend  to,  where 
the  great,  mysterious  liall  was,  in  which 
every  footfall  awoke  strange  echoes,  and 
the  old  councillors,  with  their  bi^  white 
collars,  looked  down  from  the  walls  so 
earnestly  and  searchingly,  she  always  called 
for  Tinette  to  come  with  her,  in  case,  she 
said,  there  should  be  anything  to  carry  up 
or  down, 

Tinette,  in  her  turn,  did  the  same.  When 
she  had  any  business  up  stairs  or  down, 
she  called  Sebastian  to  accompany  her,  in 
case  there  were  something-  to  be  moved 
that  might  be  too  heavy  for  her  strength. 

Strangest  of  all,  Sebastian  did  the  same. 
If  he  was  sent  to  a  distant  part  of  the 
house,  he  begged  John  to  come  too,  and 
for   the    same   reason,  lest   he    might    not 


THE   SESEMANN    HOUSE   IS    HAUNTED.       295 

be  able  to  produce  what  was  wanted. 
And  each  responded  to  the  other's  call, 
although  there  was  really  nothing-  to  bring 
up  or  down.  It  was  as  if  each  one  knew 
that  similar  help  might  be  needed  in  his 
own  case.  And  while  all  these  things 
were  happening  above  stairs,  the  old  cook 
stood  amidst  her  pots  and  pans,  saying 
thoughtfully,  wuth  many  sighs  and  shak- 
ings of  her  head,  "To  think  that  I  should 
live  to  see  such  goings-on  !  " 

Certainly  something  very  strange  had 
been  taking  place  in  the  Sesemann  house 
for  some  time.  Every  morning  when  the 
servants  came  down-stairs  the  house  door 
stood  wnde  open,  but  no  one  was  to  be 
seen,  far  or  near,  who  could  have  any  con- 
nection with  the  fact.  When  this  hap- 
pened the  first  time,  every  hole  and  corner 


296  HEIDI. 

were  searched  throughout  the  house  in  fear 
that  something  had  been  stolen  ;  for  of 
course  every  one  thought  that  a  thief  had 
hidden  himself  in  the  house,  and  carried 
off  his  plunder  in  the  night.  But  nothing 
had  been  stolen ;  nothing  in  the  whole 
house  was  missing.  At  night  the  door 
was  not  only  double-locked,  but  fastened 
with  wooden  beams.  It  did  no  good.  In 
the  morning  it  stood  wide  open  ;  and  no 
matter  how  early  the  servants  in  their 
excitement  might  come  down-stairs,  there 
stood  the  door  open,  though  everybody  in 
the  neighborhood  was  asleep,  and  all  the 
other  houses  were  fastened  securely. 

At  length  Sebastian  and  John  took 
courage,  and  prepared  themselves,  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  urgent  request  of  Miss 
Rottenmeier,  to  pass   the   night  below  in 


THt   SESEMANN    HOUSE   IS    HAUNTED.      297 

the  room  that  opened  into  the  big  hall, 
and  there  to  wait  and  watch  for  what  might 
take  place.  The  housekeeper  got  out 
several  weapons  of  Mr.  Sesemann's,  and 
gave  them  a  big  flask  of  spirits,  so  that 
they  might  have  means  of  refreshment  as 
well  as  of  defence. 

The  pair  seated  themselves,  on  the  ap- 
pointed night,  and  began  at  once  to  par- 
take of  the  refreshment,  which  soon  mad  3 
them  very  sleepy ;  whereupon  they  both 
lay  back  in  their  armchairs,  and  went  fast 
asleep.  When  the  old  tower  clock  struck 
twelve,  Sebastian  roused  himself,  and  called 
his  comrade,  who  was  not  so  easily  awak- 
ened. As  often  as  Sebastian  spoke  to  him, 
so  often  he  turned  his  head  to  the  other 
side  of  his  chair,  and  still  slept  on.  Se- 
bastian listened  intently ;   he  was  now  very 


298  HEIDI. 

wide  awake.  All  was  still,  not  even  in  the 
street  was  anything  stirring-.  Sebastian  did 
not  go  to  sleep  again,  it  was  too  uncom- 
fortable there  in  the  silence  ;  he  aroused 
John,  but  only  with  a  smothered  voice, 
and  shook  him  now  and  then  a  little. 
At  last,  about  one  o'clock,  John  awoke, 
and  remembered  why  he  was  in  a  chair, 
and  not  in  his  bed.  Suddenly  he  felt 
very  brave,  and  said  :  "  Now,  Sebastian, 
we  must  out  of  this,  and  see  what  is 
going  on.  You  needn't  be  afraid.  Come 
behind  me  !  " 

John  opened  the  door  of  the  room,  that 
had  been  only  partly  closed,  and  went  out. 
At  the  same  moment  a  sharp  draught, 
coming  from  the  open  house  door,  put 
out  the  light  that  he  had  in  his  hand. 
He  started  back,  knocked  Sebastian,  who 


THE   SESEMANN    HOUSE    IS    HAUNTED.       299 

Stood  behind,  into  the  room,  shut  the 
door  quickly,  and  turned  the  key  in  the 
lock  rapidly  as  many  times  as  it  would 
go  round  ;  then  he  pulled  out  his  matches 
and  lighted  his  lamp.  Sebastian  did  not 
rightly  know  what  had  happened,  for 
he  had  been  sheltered,  standing  as  he 
did  behind  the  stout  John,  from  the 
draught.  When,  however,  he  saw  his 
comrade  by  the  lamplight,  he  gave  a 
cry  of  alarm  ;  for  John  was  as  white  as 
chalk,  and  shook  like  an  aspen   leaf. 

"What  was  there  outside?"  asked  Se- 
bastian anxiously. 

"  Wide  open  stood  the  door,"  whispered 
John,  "  and  on  the  steps  was  a  white 
figure,  Sebastian,  just  going  down,  and 
whist !    it  disappeared." 

Sebastian    felt   creepy  down    his   whole 


300  HEIDI. 

back.  Now  the  two  men  seated  them 
selves  close  togfcthcr,  and  did  not  stir 
again  until  it  was  bright  daylight,  and 
the  streets  began  to  be  filled  with  move- 
ment. Then  going  out  together,  they 
closed  the  front  door,  that  had  stood  wide 
open  all  this  time,  and  went  to  tell  Miss 
Rottenmeier  Vvhat  had  happened  to  them. 
The  housekeeper  was  soon  ready  to  speak 
with  them,  for  she  had  scarcely  slept  for 
fear  of  what  might  be  coming.  As  soon 
as  she  heard  what  they  had  seen,  she 
seated  herself,  and  wrote  to  Mr.  Sese- 
mann  such  a  letter  as  he  had  never 
before  received,  saying  that  he  must 
come  home  at  once  without  delay,  for 
unheard  -  of  things  were  taking  place. 
She  recounted  then  what  had  occurred ; 
that  the  house  door  was  found  wide  open 


THE   SESEMANX   HOUSE   IS   HAUNTED.      3OI 

ever)^  morning ;  that  nobody  in  the  house- 
hold felt  secure,  as  it  was  impossible  to 
foresee  what  events  these  mysterious 
signs  might  portend. 

Mr.  Sesemann  replied  that  it  was  im- 
possible for  him  to  drop  everything,  and 
come  away  at  such  short  notice.  The 
ghost  story  he  found  very  absurd,  and 
hoped  that  the  excitement  would  soon 
pass  over.  If  it  did  not  soon  quiet  itself, 
he  begged  Miss  Rottennieier  to  write  to 
Mrs.  Sesemann,  who  would  undoubtedly 
come  at  once  ;  and  he  was  sure  that  she 
would  quickly  put  a  stop  to  all  spectral 
apparitions,  and  so  effectually  that  they 
would  not  dare  to  show  themselves  in 
his  house  again. 

Miss  Rottenmeier  did  not  feel  pleased 
at  the  tone  of  this  letter.    The  thing  was 


302  HEIDI. 

not  considered  of  enough  importance. 
She  wrote,  as  directed,  to  Mrs.  Sese- 
mann,  and  did  not  get  more  comfort  from 
that  lady's  answer,  which  contained  some 
very  unpleasant  remarks.  Mrs.  Sesemann 
stated  that  she  had  no  intention  of  trav- 
elling from  Holstein  to  Frankfort  because 
the  Rottenmeier  saw  ghosts.  Formerly 
there  were  no  such  things  as  ghosts  to 
be  seen  in  the  Sesemann  house ;  and  if 
any  were  wandering  there  now,  they 
must  be  living  creatures,  with  whom  the 
Rottenmeier  might  easily  settle.  If  she 
were  not  equal  to  that,  then  she  could 
call  the  watchman  to  her  aid. 

The  housekeeper  was  not  inclined  to 
pass  her  days  in  terror,  and  knew  very 
well  how  to  help  herself  in  an  emer- 
gency.    Up  to  this  time  she  had  refrained 


THE   SESEMANN    HOUSE   IS    HAUNTED.      3O.5 

from  telling  the  children  about  the  appari- 
tion, for  fear  that  they  would  not  be  willing 
to  remain  alone  day  or  night,  which  would 
inconvenience  herself  exceedingly.  Now 
stie  marched  straight  to  the  study  where 
they  were  sitting  together,  and  told  them, 
in  a  mysterious  whisper,  of  the  nightly 
appearance  of  an  unknown  being. 

Klara  declared  at  once  that  she  would 
not  be  left  alone  for  a  moment.  Her 
papa  must  be  sent  for,  and  Miss  Rotten- 
meier  must  come  to  sleep  in  her  room ; 
nor  must  Heidi  be  left  alone,  for  fear 
the  ghost  should  come  to  hurt  her. 
They  would  all  sleep  in  one  room,  and 
the  light  must  be  left  burning  all  night, 
and  Tinette  must  also  sleep  near  by ;  and 
Sebastian  and  John  must  come  down, 
and  pass  the  night  in  the  corridor,  to  call 


304  HEIDI. 

out  and  frighten  the  ghost,  if  they  saw  It 
coming. 

Klara  was  very  much  excited,  and  the 
housekeeper  had  much  trouble  in  making 
her  Hsten  to  reason.  She  promised  to 
write  to  Mr.  Sesemann,  as  well  as  to  bring 
her  bed  to  Klara's  room,  and  not  to  leave 
her  alone  at  night  again.  She  decided, 
however,  that  they  should  not  all  sleep 
in  Klara's  room  ;  if  Adelheid  were  afraid 
too,  Tinette  could  go  to  sleep  with  her. 
But  Heidi  was  far  more  afraid  of  Tinette 
than  of  ghosts,  of  which,  indeed,  she  had 
never  before  heard  ;  and  she  said  at  once 
that  she  was  not  afraid,  and  would  much 
rather  sleep  alone  in  her  room. 

Miss  Rottenmeier  hastened  to  her  writ- 
ing-desk, and  sent  off  a  letter  to  Mr. 
Sesemann,  to    the    effect   that   the  unnat- 


THE   SES'lMAXX    HOrSE   IS    HAUNTED.      305 

iiral  condition  of  affairs  in  his  house, 
recurring  as  it  did  every  night,  was  Hkely 
to  have  a  bad  influence  on  the  health 
of  his  dehcate  daughter ;  the  worst  conse- 
quences might  follow,  instatices  being 
known  of  epileptic  attacks,  or  Saint  Vitus's 
dance,  being  brought  on  l:)y  such  excite- 
ment as  his  Klara  was  now  under,  owino- 
to    these    nightly  alarms. 

This  letter  was  successful.  Two  days 
later,  Mr.  Sesemann  stood  before  his 
house  door,  and  pulled  the  bell  with 
such  violence  that  the  servants  all  stood 
lookincr  at  each  other,  with  the  fear  that 
now  the  ghost  had  become  bolder,  and 
begun  to  play  its  tricks  in  broad  day. 
Sebastian  peeped  out  through  a  half-open 
shutter  cautiously  ;  but  such  a  determined 
clang  now  resounded  through  the  hall,  that 


306  HEIDI. 

the  servant  suspected  a  man's  hand  to  b*. 
the  cause,  and  a  hand  that  he  recognized 
too  ;  so  he  hurried  down-stairs  headlong, 
to  open  the  door  as  quickly  as  possible. 

Mr.  Sesemann  greeted  Sebastian  but 
shortly,  and  went  straight  to  his  daughter's 
room,  where  the  joyful  welcome  that  he 
received  from  her,  and  her  face  of  glad- 
ness, soon  smoothed  the  wrinkles  that 
had  gathered  on  his  forehead ;  and  they 
vanished  entirely  when  she  assured  him 
that  she  felt  perfectly  well,  and  that  it  did 
not  matter,  now  she  had  him  fast,  if 
a  orhost  did  walk  at  nio^ht,  for  without  the 
ofhost  she  should  not  have  had  her  father. 

"And  pray,  how  is  the  spectre  getting 
on,  Miss  Rottenmeier  ? "  asked  Mr.  Sese- 
mann, the  corners  of  his  mouth  twitching 
a  little. 


THE   SESEMANN    HOUSE   IS    HAUNTED.      307 

"  I  assure  you,  sir,"  was  the  earnest 
reply,  "it  is  not  a  joking  matter.  To- 
morrow morning  Mr.  Sesemann  will  not 
think  of  laughing;  for  what  nightly  takes 
place  in  this  house  now,  points  clearly 
to  something  terrible  that  has  taken  place 
here  at  some  former  time,  and  been  con- 
cealed." 

"There  I  am  ignorant,"  replied  the 
gentleman  ;  "  but  I  must  beg  of  you  not 
to  make  my  entirely  respected  ancestors 
appear  in  the  character  of  persons  under 
suspicion.  Now  call  Sebastian  into  the 
dining-room,  that  I  may  speak  with  him." 

In  the  dining-room,  the  master  of  the 
house  acted  on  the  observation  that  he 
had  made  concerning  the  little  love  that 
existed  between  Sebastian  and  the  house- 
keeper. 


3o8  HEIDI. 

"  Come  here,  my  man,"  he  said,  and 
beckoned  his  servant  to  approach.  "Tell 
me  honestly,  has  there  not  been  some 
tricker}^  here  to  put  Miss  Rottenmeier 
about  a  little  ?  " 

"  No,  upon  my  truth,  the  gracious 
master  must  not  think  that.  I  do  not 
feel  at  all  comfortable  about  the  thine 
myself,"  replied  the  man  with  unmistak- 
able veracity. 

"  Very  well ; "  if  that  is  the  case,  I  will 
soon  show  such  brave  fellows  as  Sebas- 
tian and  John  how  ghosts  look  by  day- 
light. Shame  upon  you,  Sebastian,  a 
strong  young  fellow  like  you,  to  run  away 
from  a  ghost !  Now  take  my  compli- 
ments to  m)'  old  friend  Dr.  Classen,  and 
ask  that  he  come  to  me  without  fail  at 
nine  o'clock  this  evening.      I    have    trav- 


THE   SESEMAXN   HOUSE   IS    HAUNTED.      3O9 

elled  from  Paris  expressly  to  consult  him. 
He  must  watch  to-night  with  me,  so  very 
bad  is  the  case,  and  must  make  his  prep- 
arations accordingly.     Am  I  understood  ?  " 

'*  Perfectly,  perfectly ;  the  gracious  mas 
ter  may  be  sure    that    I    shall    repeat   the 
message  correctly." 

Punctually  at  nine  o'clock,  just  as  the 
children  and  Miss  Rottenmeier  withdrew 
for  the  night,  appeared  the  good  doctor, 
who  under  his  gray  hair  had  a  fresh  com- 
plexion, and  a  pair  of  bright,  kindly  eyes. 
His  anxious  looks  soon  gave  place  to 
merriment  after  the  first  greeting ;  and 
tapping  his  friend  gayly  on  the  shoulder, 
he  said  :  "  Well,  well  !  You  do  not  look 
as  if  you  were  in  need  of  a  watcher,  old 
friend." 

"  Only  be   patient   a  while,  old    fellow. 


3IO  HEIDI. 

The  person  for  whom  we  are  to  watch  will 
look  badly  enough  when  we  have  captured 
him." 

"  What  is  this  ?  A  sick  person  in  the 
house,  and  one  who  is  to  be  caught  ?  " 

"  Far  worse,  far  worse.  A  ghost  in  the 
house  !     We  are  haunted  !  " 

Dr.  Classen  laughed  outright. 

"  That  is  a  pleasant  way  of  taking 
my  news  !  It's  a  pity  my  friend  Rotten- 
meier  can't  enjoy  it  with  you.  She  is 
convinced  that  some  old  Sesemann  is  wan- 
dering about  here,  to  expiate  some  horri- 
ble crime." 

"  Wliere  has  she  made  his  acquaint- 
ance, pray  ? "  asked  the  doctor,  still  much 
amused. 

Mr.  Sesemann  now  told  his  friend  the 
whole  story,  and  added  that  he  had  made 


THE   SESEMANN    HOUSE   IS    HAUNTED.      3II 

preparations  for  whatever  might  be  discov- 
ered. He  had  two  loaded  pistols ;  for  the 
affair  was  either  one  of  a  very  objectionable 
kind  of  joke  that  some  of  the  servants'  ac- 
quaintances had  played  upon  them  during 
his  absence,  and  in  this  case  a  shot  or  two 
in  the  air  would  do  no  harm,  or  there  was 
really  a  thief,  who  wished  to  establish  the 
idea  of  a  spectre  in  order  to  pursue  his 
depredations  undisturbed,  in  which  case 
also  a  good  weapon  would  be  useful. 

W  hile  talking  this  over,  the  gentlemen 
descended  the  stairs,  and  entered  the  room 
where  John  and  Sebastian  had  passed  their 
eventful  night.  On  the  table  stood  some 
bottles  of  good  wine.  Refreshment  would 
not  come  amiss,  if  the  nigrht  were  to  be 
spent  in  watching.  The  revolvers  lay  be- 
side the  bottles  ;  and  a  couple  of  branched 


312  HEIDI. 

candlesticks,  shedding  a  clear  light  around, 
stood  there  too  ;  for  Mr.  Sesemann  had  no 
idea  of  waiting  for  the  ghost  in  partial 
darkness. 

Now  the  door  was  pushed  to,  to  prevent 
too  much  light  penetrating  into  the  corri- 
dor, which  might  make  the  ghost  feel  shy ; 
and  the  two  gentlemen  seated  themselves 
comfortably  in  their  armchairs,  and  enter- 
tained themselves  with  all  sorts  of  stories, 
taking  now  and  then  a  sip  of  wine,  until 
twelve  o'clock  sounded.  They  had  not 
thought  it  to  be  so  late. 

"  The  ghost  has  got  wind  of  us,  and  will 
not  show  itself  to-night,"  said  the  doctor. 

"  It  does  not  walk  till  one,"  said  his 
friend. 

The  talk  began  afresh.  One  sounded. 
It  was  perfectly  still,  not   a  sound  to  be 


THE   SESEMANX    HOUSE   IS    HAUNTED.      313 

heard.  Suddenly  die  doctor  raised  his 
finger. 

"Do  you  hear  nothing,  Sesemann?" 

They  listened  intently.  Softly,  but  dis- 
tinctly, they  heard  the  bar  from  the  house 
door  removed,  and  the  key  turned  twice  in 
the  lock.     Then  the  door  was  opened. 

"  You  are  not  afraid  ?  "  asked  the  doctor, 
and  rose. 

"  It  is  well  to  be  cautious,"  whispered 
Mr.  Sesemann,  and  took  a  candlestick  in 
one  hand  and  a  revolver  in  the  other. 
The  doctor  had  preceded  him,  similarly 
equipped.  They  stepped  into  the  corridor. 
A  white  figure,  lighted  up  by  the  moon- 
light, stood  motionless  on  the  threshold 
of  the  wide-open  outer  door. 

"  Who  goes  there  ? "  thundered  the 
doctor,  and  with  weapons  and  lighted  can- 


314  HEIDI. 

dies  both  gentlemen  approached  the  figure. 
It  turned  about,  and  uttered  a  low  cry. 
There  stood  revealed  little  Heidi,  with 
naked  feet,  in  her  white  nightgown,  star- 
ing with  dazzled  eyes  at  the  bright  lights 
and  flashing  revolvers,  and  quivering  like 
a  leaf  in  the  wind  from  head  to  foot. 

"  I  really  believe  it  is  your  little  water- 
carrier,"  said  the  doctor. 

"Child,  what  does  this  mean?  What 
are  you  doing  ?  Why  have  you  comt 
down  here  ? "  asked  the  master  of  the 
house. 

White  as  snow  from  fear,  Heidi  an- 
swered almost  inaudibly,  "  I  do  not  know." 

Now  the  doctor  stepped  forward.  "Se- 
semann,"  said  he,  "  the  case  belongs  to 
my  province.  Go  seat  yourself  in  your 
armchair.      I    will    first    of   all    carry    this 


THE  SESEMANN   HOUSE   IS   HAUNTED.      315 

child  back  where  she  belongs."  So  say- 
ing, he  laid  his  revolver  aside,  took  the 
trembling  child  by  the  hand,  and  with  a 
fatherly  tenderness  led  her  up-stairs. 

"  Do  not  be  afraid.  There  is  nothing 
to  fear,"  he  said  kindly,  as  they  ascended. 
"  Now  be  quiet ;  there  is  nothing  to  be 
troubled  about." 

Having  reached  Heidi's  room,  and  set 
down  his  liaht,  he  took  the  child  in 
his  arms,  put  her  in  her  bed,  and  cov- 
ered her  up  carefully ;  then,  seating  him- 
self on  a  chair  by  the  bedside,  he  waited 
patiently  until  her  tremors  had  subsided. 
At  last,  taking  Heidi's  hand  in  his,  he 
said  soothingly,  "  Now  that  everything  is 
right  again,  just  tell  me  where  you  were 
going." 

"  I  was  not  going  anywhere.     I  did  not 


3l6  HEIDI. 

go  down  there  myself,  I  was  all  at  once 
there." 

"  Well,  well ;  did  you  dream  anything 
in  the  night  ?  Do  you  remember  seeing 
or  hearing  anything  ?  " 

"  Yes,  every  night  I  dream  the  same 
thing.  I  think  I  am  with  my  grandfather, 
and  I  hear  the  wind  in  the  pines,  and 
the  stars  are  shining  in  the  sky ;  and  I 
jump  up  quick,  and  open  the  door  of  the 
hut,  and  oh,  it  is  so  beautiful !  But  when 
I  awake,  I  am  always  in  Frankfort."  And 
Heidi  began  to  sob,  and  fight  with  the 
trouble  that  swelled  her  little  throat  al- 
most to  bursting. 

"  Hm,  and  have  you  no  pain,  nowhere? 
None  in  your  back  or  head  ?  " 

"  No,  only  it  hurts  me  here  like  a  big 
stone  all  the  time." 


THE   SESEMANN    HOUSE   IS    HAUNTED.       317 

"  As  if  you  had  eaten  something,  and 
wished  to  throw  it  off  ? " 

"  No,  not  that  ;  as  if  I  must  cry." 

"And  then  do  you  cry  very  hard  ?  " 

"  Oh  no !  I  try  not  to  cry,  for  Miss 
Rottenmeier  has  forbidden  it." 

"  So  you  swallow  it  down  till  the  next 
time  ?  That  is  the  way  ?  Yes,  I  under- 
stand. And  you  like  it  here  in  Frankfort, 
do  you  ?  " 

"  Oh  yes  !  "  but  the  reply  sounded  as  if 
it  meant  "  Oh  no  !  " 

"  Hm,  and  where  did  you  live  with  your 
grandfather  ? " 

"  Always  on  the  Aim." 

"  That  couldn't  have  been  so  very  agree- 
able ?     Tiresome,  was  it  not  ?  " 

"  Oh  no  !  It  was  beautiful !  so  beauti- 
ful ! "      Heidi    could    contain    herself    no 


3  I  8  HEIDI. 

longer.  The  flood  of  longing,  the  agita- 
tion of  the  last  half-hour,  the  long-re- 
strained tears,  overpowered  her  strength, 
and  she  burst  forth  into  violent  weeping. 

The  doctor  stood  up,  smoothed  the 
child's  pillow,  and  said  kindly :  "  Yes,  cry 
a  little  now,  it  will  do  you  good.  Then  go 
to  sleep,  go  to  sleep  quietly,  and  to-mor- 
row everything  shall  be  right."  Then  he 
left  the  room. 

Once  again  down-stairs,  the  doctor 
seated  himself  in  the  armchair  opposite 
to  his  anxious  host. 

"  In  the  first  place,  Sesemann,"  he  said, 
"  I  must  tell  you  that  your  little  protegee  is 
moonstruck.  In  total  unconsciousness  she 
has  played  the  ghost,  and  opened  your 
house  door  every  night,  and  frightened 
your  servants.     In   the  second  place,  she 


THE   SESEMANN    HOUSE   IS    HAUNTED.      319 

is  suffering  from  homesickness  so  that 
she  is  reduced  ahiiost  to  a  skeleton,  and 
soon  will  be  one,  if  this  goes  on.  An 
immediate  remedy  is  necessary.  For  the 
first  trouble,  and  the  extremely  excited 
state  of  her  nerves,  there  is  only  one  cure, 
and  that  is  to  send  the  child  back  to  her 
native  mountains  ;  for  the  second,  naturally 
the  same  thing  is  needed,  her  home.  My 
prescription  is  that  she  must  leave  Frank- 
fort to-morrow." 

Mr.  Sesemann  sprang  from  his  chair, 
ind  began  walking  rapidly  up  and  down 
die  room.  At  last  he  broke  out :  "  Moon- 
struck! sick!  homesick!  reduced  to  a  skele- 
ton in  my  house,  Classen  !  All  this  with- 
in my  doors,  and  nobody  has  attended  to 
her,  nobody  knew  anything  about  it!  And 
you,  doctor,  you  wish  that  this  child,  who 


320  HEIDI. 

came  to  us  fresh  and  strong,  should  be  sent, 
back  to  her  grandfather  aihng  and  fam 
ished  ?  No,  you  cannot  ask  that.  I  will 
not  do  it,  I  cannot !  Take  the  little  one 
in  hand,  cure  her ;  do  what  you  think 
best,  only  cure  her ;  then  I  will  send  her 
back  whenever  she  wishes.  You  must 
help  us." 

"  Sesemann,"  replied  Dr.  Classen  im- 
pressively, "bethink  yourself!  This  con- 
dition is  not  an  illness  to  be  cured  by 
pills  and  powders.  The  child  is  not  of  a 
naturally  strong  constitution  ;  but  if  she  is 
allowed  to  return  to  the  strengthening 
mountain  air  which  she  is  accustomed  to, 
and  which  she  needs,  she  will  be  perfectly 
strong  again,  Sesemann,  you  would  not 
have  her  return  to  her  grandfather  incura- 
bly ill,  or  return  no  more  ?  " 


THE   SESEMANN   HOUSE   IS    HAUNTED.      32  I 

From  sheer  alarm  Mr.  Sesemann  stood 
still,  and  stared  at  the  solemn  doctor. 

"  Of  course,  if  you  talk  so,  Classen, 
there  is  no  choice.  It  must  be  as  you 
say. 

He  took  his  friend's  arm,  and  they 
walked  back  and  forth,  talkinor  the  ease 
thoroughly  over,  and  making  plans,  until 
it  was  morning ;  and  when  the  master 
of  the  house  opened  the  door  to  let  his 
friend  out,  the  bright  sunlight  streamed  in. 


322  HBIDI. 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

A   SUMMER    EVENING    ON    THE    ALM. 

After  his  friend's  departure,  Mr.  Sese- 
mann  ascended  rapidly  to  the  housekeep- 
er's room,  at  which  he  knocked  loudly. 
Miss  Rottenmeier  uttered  a  cry  of  alarm. 
Outside  she  heard  the  master's  voice, 
saying  imperiously:  "Be  kind  enough  to 
make  haste,  and  come  to  the  dining-room 
without  delay ;  preparations  for  a  journey 
must  be  made  at  once." 

It  was  only  half  past  four  in  the  morn- 
ing. Miss  Rottenmeier  had  never  been 
out  of  bed  in  her  life  so  early.  What 
could    have   happened  ?     Moved    by  curi- 


A   SUMMKR    KVENING   ON   THE   ALM.       323 

osity,  and  much  agitated,  she  took  up  the 
wrong  thing  continually  in  dressing,  and 
therefore  got  on  very  slowly  ;  for  when  she 
had  put  an  article  of  dress  on  her  person, 
she  began  to  search  in  the  room  to  find  it. 
In  the  mean  time  Mr.  Sesemann  went 
through  the  hall,  and  pulled  every  bell  with 
all  his  might,  to  call  each  separate  servant. 
In  each  room  a  frightened  man  or  maid 
sprang  out  of  bed,  hurrying  to  dress  pell- 
mell  ;  for  all  believed  that  the  spectre  had 
laid  violent  hands  on  the  watchers,  and  that 
it  was  a  call  for  help.  Down  they  came 
one  after  the  other,  each  looking  worse 
than  the  last,  and  stood  in  surprise  before 
their  master,  who  looked  fresh  and  lively, 
and  not  as  if  suffering  from  a  fright.  John 
received  an  order  to  get  horses  and  car- 
riage in  readiness  to  go  out.     Heidi  was 


324  HEIDI. 

to  be  awakened  and  dressed  by  Tinette 
and  prepared  for  an  immediate  journey. 
Sebastian  was  despatched  to  the  house 
where  Dete  hved,  to  bring  her  without 
delay  to  Mr.  Sesemann. 

At  last  Miss  Rottenmeier  appeared.  Her 
clothes  were  all  in  good  order  at  last,  ex- 
cept her  headdress,  which  was  put  on  the 
wrong  side  before,  presenting  from  a  dis- 
tance the  strange  and  alarmingf  sup-gestion 
that  the  housekeeper's  head  was  turned. 
Mr.  Sesemann,  rightly  ascribing  this  puz- 
zling aspect  to  her  early  rising,  went  on 
with  his  business  unconcernedly,  request- 
ing her  to  prepare  a  trunk  for  the  little 
Swiss  (so  he  always  spoke  of  Heidi, 
whose  unusual  name  continually  escaped 
his  memory),  to  place  in  it  a  good  portion 
of  Klara's  clothing,  so  that  the  child  should 


A   SUMMER   EVENING   ON   THE   ALM.       325 

carry  away  with  her  whatever  was  fitting, 
and  this  to  be  accomphshed  at  once,  and 
not  a  moment  wasted. 

Beyond  this,  no  word  of  explanation  was 
vouchsafed,  much  to  Miss  Rottenmeier's 
disappointment ;  and  leaving  her  to  follow 
his  directions,  Mr.  Sesemann  went  to  his 
daughter's  bedroom.  As  he  expected,  he 
found  Klara  wide  awake,  hstenino-  anx- 
iously  to  the  sounds  that  reached  her  from 
every  side,  and  trying  vainly  to  divine  what 
was  going  on  in  the  house  at  this  unusual 
hour.  Seating  himself  on  her  bed,  her 
father  gave  her  a  detailed  account  of  what 
had  happened  in  connection  with  the  ghost 
story,  and  how  little  Heidi  had  in  Dr. 
Classen's  opinion  undergone  a  serious 
strain,  and  would  probably  continue  her 
nightly  wanderings    until    she    some    time 


326  HEIDI. 

mounted  to  the  roof,  which  would  be  very 
dangerous.  It  was  necessary  to  send  the 
little  o-irl  home  to  her  native  air,  for  he 
could  not  take  upon  himself  the  conse- 
quences if  he  kept  the  child  in  Frankfort. 
He  appealed  to  Klara's  good  feeling  and 
good  sense  to  see  that  it  must  be. 

At  first,  naturally,  Klara  could  not  be- 
lieve in  the  necessity  that  would  deprive 
her  of  her  dear  little  companion,  and 
tried,  as  her  father  had  done  at  first,  to 
find  all  sorts  of  remedies  rather  than  a 
parting.  But  her  father  was  inflexible. 
He  promised,  if  Klara  were  able,  to  travel 
with  her  to  Switzerland  the  following  sum- 
mer, if  she  would  only  be  c|uiet  now,  and 
not  make  too  much  of  this  present  trouble. 
So  Klara  resigned  herself  to  the  inevitable, 
only  begging  as   recompense   that   Heidi's 


A   SUMMER    EVENING   ON   THE   ALM.       327 

trunk  should  be  brought  to  her  room,  and 
there  packed,  in  order  that  she  could  place 
in  it  anything  she  pleased,  or  that  she 
thought  would  please  her  little  friend  ; 
which  plan  her  father  heartily  agreed  to, 
encouraging  her  to  provide  for  the  little 
Swiss  a  handsome  outfit. 

While  all  this  was  going  rapidly  forward. 
Aunt  Dete  came  with  Sebastian,  who  left 
her  in  great  suspense  in  the  antechamber, 
since  her  being  summoned  at  this  unusual 
hour  must  indicate  that  something  remark- 
able was  about  to  happen.  Going  to 
her,  Mr.  Sesemann  explained  why  it  was 
necessary  to  send  the  child,  her  niece, 
immediately  back  to  her  grandfather,  and 
requested  Dete  to  accompany  her  at  once. 

Much  disappointed  Dete  felt  and  looked 
at    this    unexpected    turn   of  affairs.     She 


328  HEIDI. 

remembered  too  well  the  parting  shot  of 
the  Aim  uncle,  warning  her  against  ever 
showing  herself  before  him  again ;  and 
she  hardly  deemed  it  prudent  to  venture 
to  return  with  Heidi  now,  having  once 
brought  her,  and  then  removed  her,  each 
time  without  his  permission.  Her  mind 
was  promptly  made  up  and  expressed. 
To-day  it  was  utterly  impossible  for  her 
to  make  the  journey,  neither  was  it  to 
be  thought  of  for  the  morrow.  The  day 
after  would  be  the  least  convenient  of  all, 
owing  to  work  that  must  be  done ;  and 
farther  on  she  could  do  no  better.  Mr. 
Sesemann  understood  her  drift  by  this 
time,  and  dismissed  her  without  comment. 
Sending  for  Sebastian,  he  bade  him  pre- 
pare for  a  journey.  He  was  to  conduct 
Heidi  to  Basle  to-day,  and  continue  with 


A   SUMMER   EVENING   ON   THE   ALM.       329 

her  to  her  home  the  day  after,  then  return 
to  Frankfort  without  delay.  Mr.  Sesemann 
would  give  him  a  letter  to  Heidi's  grand- 
father, to  explain  everything. 

"  One  other  thing  Sebastian  is  not 
to  forget,"  pursued  Mr.  Sesemann*  "I 
am  well  known  at  the  hotel  at  Basle. 
I  have  written  directions  on  my  card,  and 
when  this  is  given  to  the  landlord  a  good 
room  will  be  provided  for  the  little  Swiss. 
.Sebastian  can  look  out  for  his  own  com- 
fort. All  the  windows  in  the  little  girl's 
room. must  be  carefully  closed  and  securely 
fastened,  so  that  they  cannot  be  opened 
with  the  greatest  strength.  The  door  must 
also  be  locked  and  fastened  from  the  out- 
side, when  the  child  is  quiet ;  for  she  wan- 
ders about  in  her  sleep,  and  might  chance 
to  be  in  dang-er  in  a  strangre  house  if  she 

o  o 


330  HEIDI. 

got  out  of  her  room,  and  tried  to  open  the 
house  door.  Does  Sebastian  understand 
what  is  said  ?  " 

"  Ah  !  ah  !  ah  !  Was  that  it  ?  Was  that 
how  it  was  ? "  cried  Sebastian,  on  whose 
brain  a  great  Hght  broke  suddenly  con- 
cerning the  ghost. 

"  Yes,  that  was  it ;  that  was  how  it  was  ; 
and  there  is  a  poltroon,  too,  who  can  tell 
John  that  he  also  is  a  coward,  and  as  much 
for  the  whole  ridiculous  household."  And 
in  high  dudgeon  Mr.  Sesemann  strode 
off  to  his  own  room,  to  write  to  the  Aim 
uncle. 

Crestfallen  stood  the  doughty  Sebas- 
tian in  the  middle  of  the  room,  and  re- 
peated to  himself  several  times  :  "  If  I 
only  hadn't  let  that  cowardly  John  push 
me    back    into     the    room,    and    lock    the 


A    SUMMER    EVENING   CN   THE   ALM.     33 1 

door,  T  should  certainly  have  gone  after 
the  white  figure.  I  would  do  it  this  very 
minute  !  "  As,  in  fact,  he  well  might,  for 
every  corner  of  the  room  was  flooded  with 
light. 

Meanwhile  Heidi  stood  arrayed  in  her 
Sunday  frock  in  the  middle  of  her  cham- 
ber, with  no  idea  of  what  had  happened, 
or  was  to  happen.  Tinette  had  shaken 
her  awake,  taken  her  clothes  from  the 
press,  and  helped  her  to  dress,  without 
speaking  to  her,  as  usual.  The  lady's  maid 
declared  she  found  the  little  Swiss  child's 
(gnorance  too  debasing,  when  she  tried  to 
converse  with  her. 

"  Where  is  the  child  ?  "  called  out  Mr. 
Sesemann.  coming  into  the  dining-room. 
vith  his  finished  letter  in  his  hand. 

Heidi  appeared.     She  came  towards  Mr. 


332  HEIDI. 

Sesemann  to  say  good- morning.  "  And 
now,  what  have  you  to  say  about  it,  httle 
one  ? "  said  he,  examining  her  face  atten- 
tively. 

In  amazed  silence  Heidi  looked  up  at 
him. 

"  So  you  really  know  nothing  about  it," 
continued  he,  smiling.  "  To-day  you  are 
going  home,  going  at  once." 

"  Home ! "  murmured  the  child,  and 
turned  perfectly  white.  She  could  scarcely 
breathe  for  a  while,  her  heart  seemed  to 
stand  still  in  her  breast. 

"  And  do  not  you  wish  to  know  some- 
thing more  about  it  ?  " 

"  Oh  yes,  indeed,  I  wish  to  very  much  !  " 
she  said,  and  now  grew  crimson. 

"  That  is  better,"  said  Mr.  Sesemann, 
and  made  a  sign  for  her  to  seat  herself  at 


A   SUMMER   EVENING   ON   THE   ALM.       333 

the  table,  while  he  did  the  same.  "  Now 
eat  a  hearty  breakfast,  then  into  the  car- 
riage and  away,"  he  said  encouragingly. 

In  vain  Heidi  tried  to  eat,  though  she 
would  have  liked  to  show  her  obedience. 
Such  a  commotion  was  taking  place  within 
her  that  she  did  not  know  if  she  were 
awake  or  asleep.  She  half  dreaded  to  find 
herself  in  her  nightdress  on  the  house- 
door  steps. 

"  Let  Sebastian  take  a  good  luncheon 
with  him,"  said  Mr.  Sesemann  to  the 
housekeeper,  who  entered  at  this  moment. 
"  The  child  cannot  eat,  which  is  not  sur- 
prising. Go  into  Klara's  room,  and  sit 
with  her  until  the  carriage  comes,"  he 
added  in  friendly  wise,  turning  to  Heidi. 

That  was  just  what  Heidi  was  longing 
to  do,  so  away  she  ran.    A  big  trunk  stood 


334  HEIDI. 

in  the  middle  of  Klara's  room,  the  lid  still 
open. 

"  Come,  Heidi,  come !  see  what  I  have 
packed  for  you.  Is  it  not  nice  ? "  said 
Klara,  showing  her  a  great  quantity  of 
things,  dresses  and  aprons,  handkerchiefs 
and  sewing  implements,  and  —  greatest 
treasure  of  all  for  the  little  Swiss,  the 
sight  of  which  made  her  leap  for  joy  —  a 
basket  of  twelve  beautiful  white  round 
rolls  for  the  grandmother  in  Dorfli.  In 
their  delight  over  these  gifts  the  children 
forgot  the  coming  separation,  until  a  call 
from  the  other  room  startled  them.  "The 
carriage  is  ready,"  shouted  Mr.  Sesemann. 
and  there  was  no  time  to  grieve  over  the 
parting.  Heidi  rushed  into  her  room  for 
the  beautiful  book  given  her  by  the  grand- 
mamma, from  which  she   never  parted  day 


A    SUMMER.  EVENING   ON   THE   ALM.       335 

or  night.  She  knew  that  was  not  packed, 
for  she  kept  it  at  night  under  her  pillow. 
She  opened  the  press  wide,  another  pre- 
cious thing  must  go  home  with  her.  There 
it  was,  and  the  old  red  shawl,  which  Miss 
Rottenmeier  had  esteemed  too  shabby  to 
be  put  into  the  trunk.  Heidi  wrapped  it 
round  her  other  treasure,  and  put  it  on 
the  top  of  the  basket  of  rolls,  so  that  the 
red  parcel  was  very  conspicuous.  Then, 
placing  her  pretty  hat  on  her  head,  she 
left  the  room. 

The  good-bye  was  quickly  said.  Mr. 
Sesemann  was  waiting  to  put  Heidi  into 
the  carriage,  and  Miss  Rottenmeier  stood 
at  the  head  of  the  stairs  to  take  leave  of 
her ;  but  when  she  caught  sight  of  the 
extraordinary  red  shawl,  she  took  the  bun- 
dle quickly  from  the  top  of  the  basket,  and 
threw  it  on  the  floor. 


336  HEIDI. 

"  No,  Adelheid,"  she  said  reproachfully, 
"  you  must  not  travel  away  from  this 
house  in  this  style  ;  you  have  no  occasion 
to  carry  back  this  stuff,  at  any  rate.  Now 
farewell." 

After  these  severe  words,  Heidi  did  not 
dare  to  take  up  her  little  bundle  again  ; 
but  she  looked  up  at  the  master  of  the 
house  with  beseeching  eyes,  as  if  to  tell 
him  that  she  was  losing  her  most  valued 
possessions. 

"No,  none  of  this,  Miss  Rottenmeier ; 
the  child  shall  take  home  with  her  what- 
ever she  wishes,  should  it  even  be  kittens 
or  a  tortoise.  There  is  no  need  to  become 
excited  over  it." 

Mr.  Sesemann  spoke  in  so  decided  a 
tone  that  there  was  no  more  doubt  either 
in  Heidi's  or  Miss  Rottenmeier  s  mind  as 


to  what  was  to  be  clone.  The  child  lifted 
up  her  treasure  from  the  floor,  and  joy  and 
thanks  shone  in   her  eyes. 

Below,  at  the  carriao-e  door,  Mr.  Sese- 
mann  took  leave  of  his  little  Swiss,  shak- 
ing her  kindly  by  the  hand,  w^ishing  her  a 
good  journey,  and  bidding  her  not  to  for- 
get her  friends  in  Frankfort ;  and  Heidi 
thanked  him  right  bravely  for  all  the  kind-'- 
ness  she  had  received  at  his  hands,  and 
added  earnestly,  "And  to  the  good  doctor 
I  send  a  thousand  thanks,  and  my  best 
wishes."  For  the  conversation  of  the 
previous  night  remained  in  her  memory, 
and  how  the  doctor  had  said,  "  To-morrow 
everything  shall  be  right."  And  now  it 
was  true,  and  Heidi  ascribed  it  to  the 
right  cause. 

AJready   the    child    was   lifted    into    the 


338  HEIDI. 

carriage  ;   and   after  her  came   the  basket 
the  lunch-bag,  and  Sebastian.     "  A  happy 
journey,"  cried   Mr.   Sesemann,   and   they 
were  gone. 

All  the  time  they  were  on  the  railway 
Heidi  held  her  basket  tightly  in  her  lap. 
She  would  not  risk  its  being  on  the  seat ; 
for  the  precious  rolls  for  the  grandmother 
were  there,  which  she  must  guard  care- 
fully. She  raised  the  lid  every  now  and 
then,  to  assure  herself.  In  perfect  quiet 
the  child  passed  the  long  day.  She  only 
now  beean  to  understand  that  she  was  on 
her  way  to  the  Aim,  to  her  grandfather,  to 
goat-Peter  ;  and  her  thoughts  became  busy 
with  what  was  in  store  for  her,  how  they 
all  would  look.  Suddenly  remembering 
her  old  fear,  she  said  anxiously,  "  Sebas- 
tian, is  it  certain  that  the  grandmother  on 
the  Aim  is  not  dead  ? " 


A    SUMMER    EVENING   ON   THE   ALM.       339 

"  We'll  hope  SO,"  said  he  soothingly. 
"  Yes,  yes,  she  must  be  still  alive." 

Then  Heidi  fell  back  again  into  her  old 
train  of  thought,  and  pictured  how  she 
would  spread  out  her  twelve  rolls  on  the 
table  before  the  blind  woman  ;  and  again 
she  peeped  at  them.  After  a  long  time 
she  said  ao^ain,  "  Sebastian,  if  one  could 
only  be  quite  sure  that  the  grandmother 
is  alive  !  " 

"  Yes,  yes,"  murmured  Sebastian,  only 
half  awake,  "why  shouldn't  she  be?" 

Soon  sleep  overpowered  the  tired  child 
also  ;  for  she  had  passed  an  unquiet  night, 
been  awakened  early,  and  was  fairly  ex- 
hausted. She  was  roused  at  last  by  Sebas- 
tian's grip  upon  her  arm.  "  Wake  up  ! 
wake  up !  We  must  get  out ;  we  are  at 
Basle." 


340  HEIDI. 

Their  journey  was  continued  hour  after 
hour  the  following-  clay,  Heidi  always  hold- 
ing the  basket,  which  she  had  never  parted 
from.  To-day  she  did  not  speak  at  all,  and 
every  hour  her  anxiety  increased.  At  last, 
when  she  least  expected  it,  the  guard  cried 
out,  "  Mayenfeld  !  "  Sebastian,  as  well  as 
herself,  sprang  up  hastily,  being-  both  taken 
by  surprise.  They  were  on  the  platform, 
the  basket  safe,  and  the  train  puffing  away 
in  the  distance.  Sebastian  followed  it 
sadly  with  his  eyes.  How  much  better, 
he  thought,  to  travel  by  that,  than  to 
undertake  the  foot  journey  which  must 
end  in  a  climb  up  a  mountain,  and  that, 
too,  in  a  country  where  the  inhabitants 
were  half  wild,  and  where  dangers  sur- 
rounded  him  on  every  side  !  Such  was  the 
Frankforter's  idea  of  Switzerland.     Having 


A   SUMMER    EVENING   ON   THE   ALM.       34  T 

looked  about  him  cautiously,  he  determined 
to  find  out  the  safest  \va)'  to  Dorfli.  Not 
far  froni  the  station  stood  a  little  cart, 
with  a  horse  harnessed  to  it.  A  broad- 
shouldered  man  was  liftini^"  into  the  cart  a 
couple  of  sacks  of  flour,  which  had  been 
brought  by  the  railroad.  Sebastian  ques- 
tioned him  concerning  the  safest  road  to 
Dorfli. 

"  All  the  roads  are  safe  here,"  replied 
the  man   shortly. 

Sebastian,  however,  continued  his  inqui- 
ries as  to  the  best  way,  where  there  was 
least  danger  of  falling  over  the  precipices, 
also  how  a  trunk  could  be  conveyed  thither. 
The  man  looked  at  the  trunk,  measured  it 
awhile  with  his  eye,  and  said  that  if  the 
thing  were  not  too  heavy  he  would  take  it 
himself  to  Dorfli,  as  he  was  cfoins:  there ; 


342  HEIDI. 

and  so  they  fell  into  conversation,  com- 
ing at  last  to  the  understanding  that  the 
child  and  her  trunk  should  be  put  into 
the  cart,  and  taken  to  Dorfli,  and  then 
Heidi  could  find  some  escort  up  the  Aim. 

"  I  can  go  alone,"  here  said  Heidi.  "  I 
know  my  way  up  the  Aim  from  Dorlli." 

A  great  weight  fell  from  Sebastian's 
heart,  as  he  found  himself  relieved  from 
the  necessity  of  climbing  up  the  mountain. 
Beckoning  Heidi  mysteriously  aside,  he 
gave  her  a  small  but  heavy  parcel,  and  a 
letter  for  her  grandfather,  explaining  to  her 
that  the  parcel  contained  a  present  from 
Mr.  Sesemann,  and  that  it  must  be  very 
carefully  looked  after,  as  his  master  would 
be  very  angry  if  it  were  lost.  He  advised 
that  it  should  be  put  into  the  basket  under 
the  rolls,  as  there  it  would  be  safest. 


A   SUMMER    EVENING   ON   THE   ALM.       343 

"  I  will  not  lose  it,"  said  Heidi  con- 
fidently, and  buried  the  letter  and  the 
parcel  far  down  amongst  the  bread.  So 
Heidi,  her  trunk,  and  her  basket,  were  put 
into  the  cart,  Sebastian  making  many  signs 
and  mysterious  movements  to  indicate  that 
great  care  must  be  taken.  As  the  driver 
stood  near,  he  did  not  like  to  speak  again 
of  the  last  addition  to  the  basket ;  but  he 
made  all  the  ado  possible,  to  quiet  his 
conscience  for  not  accompanying  the  child 
himself,  as  he  was  bidden.  At  last  the 
driver  climbed  up  to  his  high  seat  beside 
the  little  girl,  and  they  rolled  off  towards 
Dorfli ;  while  the  servant  went  rejoicing 
on  his  way  back,  to  await  the  train  to  go 
home  to  Frankfort. 

It  was  the  baker  from  Dorfli,  into  whose 
cart  Heidi  had  climbed.     They  were  stran- 


344  HEIDI. 

gers  to  each  other;  but  he  knew  her  story 
and  how  she  had  been  brought  up  and 
left  by  her  aunt  with  the  Ahii  uncle.  He 
had  known  her  parents,  and  felt  sure  at 
once  that  the  much-talked-about  Heidi 
was  now  in  his  care.  Why  she  was  com- 
ing back  again  he  could  not  understand, 
and  as  they  jogged  along  he  began  to 
question  her.  ' 

"You   must  be  the  child  who  lived  with 
I  the  Aim  uncle,  with  her  grandfather?" 

"Yes." 

"  Have  you  had  a  hard  time  of  it,  that 
you  are  coming  back  again?"  '  ■ 

"  No,  that  is  not  so  ;   nobody  can  be  so 
well  off  as  they  are  in  Frankfort." 

"Why,  then,  are  you  coming  home?" 

"  Only  because   Mr.    Sesemann    has   let 
me," 


A   SUMMER   EVENING   ON   THE   ALM.       345 

"Pah!  why  didn't  )Ou  sta)-  there  even 
il  he  did  give  you  leave  to  come  home  ? " 

*•  Because  I  had  a  thousand  times  rather 
be  with  my  grandfather  on  the  Ahn  than 
anywhere  else  in  the  whole  world." 

"  You'll  think  different  when  you  are 
once  up  there  again,"  muttered  the  baker. 
"  I  should  like  to  know  if  she  has  heard 
how  it  is  up  there  now," 

After  this  he  bco-an  to  whistle,  and  said 
no  more  ;  and  Heidi  looked  about  her, 
tremblinof  from  excitement,  for  she  recoof- 
nized  the  trees  on  the  roadside,  and  above 
snc  could  see  the  great  jagged  peaks  of 
Falkniss,  which  looked  down  on  her,  and 
greeted  her  like  an  old  friend.  Heidi 
returned  the  greeting,  while  with  every 
step  her  excitement  increased  ;  it  seemed 
as  if  she  must  spring  from  the  cart,  and 


346  HEIDI. 

run  without  stopping  to  the  very  top.  vShe 
controlled  herself,  however,  and  did  not 
move,  though  she  trembled  in  every  limb. 
As  it  struck  five  they  drove  into  Dorfli. 

Suddenly  they  were  surrounded  by  a 
crowd  of  women  and  children,  and  several 
men  came  towards  them ;  for  the  trunk 
and  the  child  attracted  the  attention  of  the 
inhabitants,  and  every  one  wanted  to  know 
whence  she  came,  where  she  was  going, 
and  to  whom  she  belonged.  When  the 
baker  had  taken  Heidi  down,  she  said 
quickly,  "  My  grandfather  will  soon  come 
for  the  trunk,  I  thank  you  for  the  ride," 
and  wanted  to  run  on  ;  but  she  was  held 
fast  on  every  side,  and  a  vast  -number  of 
questions  asked  by  every  one  at  once.  She 
tried  to  press  through  the  crowd,  and  her 
expression  was  so  anxious  that  they  made 


A   SUMMER   EVENING   ON   THE   ALM.       347 

way  for  her  involuntarily,  and  let  her  run 
on  ;  while  one  said  to  the  other,  "  You  see 
how  friorhtened  she  is,  and  she  has  cause 
enough  too."  Then  they  all  began  to  tell 
each  other  how  for  a  year  past  the  Aim 
uncle  had  grown  more  and  more  morose, 
and  would  not  now  speak  a  word  to  any 
one,  but  looked  as  if  he  would  like  to  kill 
all  who  crossed  his  path.  If  this  child 
had  any  other  place  in  the  world  to  go  to, 
she  would  certainly  not  venture  into  that 
old  dragon's  nest. 

The  baker,  however,  joined  in  the  con- 
versation, saying  that  he  ought  to  know 
more  than  any  one  else  about  it.  Then 
with  great  importance  he  related  how  a 
gentleman  had  brought  the  child  to  May- 
enfeld,  and  had  taken  leave  of  her  very 
affectionately,  had  also  given  him  the  price 


34^  HEIDI. 

of  the  ride  and  something  over  witii  ,t 
even  bargaining ;  and  above  all  he  could 
truly  say  that  Heidi  was  happy  in  Frank- 
fort, and  had  come  back  of  her  own  accord 
to  live  with  her  Q^randfather.  This  news 
was  received  with  a  great  deal  of  surprise, 
and  spread  through  the  village  like  wild- 
fire ;  in  every  house  they  were  all  talking 
over  the  news  that  Heidi,  leaving  all  sorts 
of  comforts  behind  her,  had  returned  of 
her  own  accord  to  her  grandfather. 

Heidi  had  all  this  time  been  scampering 
up  the  mountain  as  fast  as  she  possibly 
could  ;  but  she  was  obli<Ted  to  stand  still 
now  and  then,  for  she  was  continuall)'  out 
of  breath.  The  basket  on  her  arm  was 
rather  heavy  too,  and  it  grew  steeper  and 
steeper  as  she  went  on.  One  thought 
filled   her  mind  :    "  Will   the  grandmother 


A   SUMMER   EVENING   ON   THE   ALM.       349 

be  sitting-  in  the  corner  by  her  spinning-- 
wheel  ?  May  she  not  have  died  in  all  this 
time  ?  " 

When  at  last  she  perceived  the  cottage 
in  the  hollow  on  the  Aim- side,  her  heart 
began  to  beat  almost  painfully,  but  she  still 
ran  on.  Now  she  was  there,  )et  could  not 
open  the  door  for  trembling.  At  last  she 
accomplished  it ;  into  the  little  room  she 
sprang,  and  stood  there  utterly  breathless, 
and  unable  to  speak  a  word. 

"  Oh,"  said  a  voice  from  the  corner, 
"  that  is  the  way  the  child  Heidi  used  to 
come  running  in  to  me  !  If  I  could  once 
more  in  my  life  have  her  with  me  !  Who 
was  it  that  came  in  ?  " 

"  It  is  I,  grandmother,  it  is  Heidi,"  cried 
the  child,  and  ran  towards  the  corner. 
Falling  on  her  knees  she  seized  the  grand- 


350  HEIDI. 

mother's  hand,  and  laid  her  head  upon  the 
grandmother's  lap,  not  being  able  to  speak 
a  word  in  her  great  happiness. 

At  first  the  grandmother  was  also  silent 
from  surprise,  but  soon  began  passing  her 
hand  caressingly  over  the  little  one's  curly 
hair,  repeating  over  and  over:  "Yes,  it 
is  the  dear  child's  hair,  and  her  voice. 
Oh,  the  dear  God  has  let  me  live  for 
this !  "  and  happy  tears  streamed  from  her 
eyes.  "  Can  you  really  be  Heidi  ?  Is  it 
indeed  you  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  am  really  here,  grandmother," 
said  Heidi  assuringly.  "  You  must  not  cry 
any  more  ;  here  I  am,  and  will  come  every 
day  to  you,  and  never,  never  go  away 
again.  And  here,  grandmother,  now  you 
will  not  have  to  eat  hard  bread  for  many 
a  day ;  here,  grandmother ;  "  and  the  rolls 


A   SUMMER   EVENING   ON   THE   ALM.       35  I 

were  taken  from  the  basket,  and  placed 
one  after  another  on  the  old  woman's  lap, 
till  it  was  heaping  full, 

"  Oh,  child,  child  !  what  a  blessing  you 
bring  with  you  ! "  cried  out  the  grand- 
mother, and  there  seemed  to  her  no  end 
to  the  bread  which  the  child  kept  piling 
up.  "  But  the  greatest  blessing  of  all  is 
yourself; "  and  again  she  passed  her  hands 
through  the  clustering  curls,  and  stroked 
the  hot  little  cheek,  saying,  "  Speak,  Heidi, 
only  one  word,  that  I  may  hear  my  child's 
voice."  So  the  little  girl  told  of  her  fears 
lest  when  she  returned  she  should  not  find 
the  grandmother  alive,  and  that  the  white 
bread  might  not  do  her  any  good. 

Peter's  mother  entered  at  this  moment, 
standing  quite  still  for  an  instant  from 
astonishment ;  then  she  cried  out,  "  It  is 
surely  Heidi !  can  I  believe  my  eyes  ? " 


352  HEIDI. 

Heidi  rose,  and  shook  hands  \vith 
Brigitte,  who  could  not  admire  her  ap- 
pearance enough,  and  walked  round  and 
round  die  child,  saying:  "Oh,  mother, 
if  you  could  only  see  the  beautiful  dress 
she  has  on !  one  can  scarcely  recognize 
her  !  Does  the  hat  with  the  feather 
belong  to  you,  Heidi ;  that  one  on  the 
table?  Put  it  on.  I- want  to  see  how  you 
look  in   it." 

"No,  I  do  not  want  it,"  said  the  child. 
"You  can  take  it;  I  shall  not  wear  it 
again,  I  haye  my  old  one."  So  saying, 
she  opened  the  red  bundle,  and  took  out 
her  hat,  which  had  acquired  many  more 
dents  during  the  journey,  in  addition  to 
the  old  ones.  Little  cared  Heidi  for- that; 
she  had  never  forgotten  how  her  grand- 
father had  declared,  when  she  left  the  Aim, 


A   SUMMER   EVENING   ON   THE   ALM.       353 

that  in  a  hat  with  feathers  he  would  never 
look  upon  her ;  and  therefore  she  had 
always  wished  to  keep  the  old  hat,  hop- 
ing always  to  wear  it  when  she  returned 
home. 

Brigitte,  however,  reproved  her  for  be- 
ing so  simple.  It  was  a  beautiful  hat,  she 
said ;  she  could  not  take  it,  for  it  might 
be  sold  to  the  daughter  of  the  teacher  in 
Dorfli  for  a  large  sum  of  money,  if  Heidi 
would  really  never  wear  it.  Heidi  held  to 
her  determination,  and  put  the  hat  in  the 
corner  behind  the  grandmother,  where  it 
was  quite  hidden ;  then  taking  off  her 
pretty  frock,  and  binding  the  old  red  shawl 
over  her  petticoat  with  its  short  sleeves, 
she  was  equipped  for  the  Aim  ;  and  taking 
the  grandmother's  hand,  she  said  :  "  Now 
I   must  go  to  my  grandfather,   but   I  will 


354  HEIDI. 

come  again  to-morrow  to  see  you.  Good- 
night." 

"  Yon  will  surely  come  again,  little 
one,  come  again  to-morrow  ? "  said  the 
old  woman,  and  held  the  little  hand  tightly 
in  hers,  and  could  hardly  let  the  child  go 
from  her. 

"  Why  have  you  taken  off  your  pretty 
frock  ?  "  asked  Brigitte. 

"  I  must  go  up  without  it  to  my  grand- 
father, for  fear  he  should  not  know  me. 
You  said  that  you  hardly  knew  me  in  that 
dress." 

"  Oh,  you  might  have  kept  on  your 
pretty  dress  ;  he  would  have  known  }'ou  ; 
but  pray  be  careful,  for  Peterkin  says  that 
the-  Aim  uncle  is  cross  all  the  time  now, 
and  never  speaks  a  pleasant  word." 

Brigitte   had  gone  out  to  the  doorstep 


A    SUMMER    EVENING    ON    THE   AI.M.       355 

to  give  Heidi  this  parting  warning.  A 
good-night  was  all  the  answer  Heidi  gave, 
as  she  began  to  mount  the  Aim  with  her 
bundle  on  her  arm.  The  evening  sun 
lighted  up  the  green  slopes,  and  up  above 
the  great  snow-held  on  Casaplana  was  visi- 
ble, and  shone  from  afar. 

Every  few  steps  Heidi  had  to  stop,  stand 
still  and  turn  about,  for  as  she  climbed,  the 
highest  peak  lay  behind  her.  The  red  light 
fell  on  the  grass,  reaching  even  to  her  feet. 
She  stopped  and  rested,  to  enjoy  it  fully ; 
it  was  even  more  beautiful  than  she  had 
remembered  or  dreamed  of  it.  The  pin- 
nacles on  Falkniss  flamed  up  to  heaven, 
the  white  snow-field  glowed,  and  rosy- red 
clouds  moved  across  the  sky.  Even  the 
grass  looked  aflame,  as  the  glowing  reflec- 
tion streamed  from  every  peak,  and  below 


356  HEIDI. 

the  whole  valley  was  bathed  in  vaporous 
gold.  Heidi  stood  in  the  midst  of  all  this 
beauty,  while  in  her  happiness  and  rapture 
great  tears  rolled  down  her  checks ;  and 
folding  her  little  hands  she  looked  up  to 
heaven,  to  give  thanks  to  the  good  God 
who  had  brouo-ht  her  home  ao-ain   to  fmd 

o  o 

everything  so  beautiful,  far  more  beautiful 
than  ever  before.  It  was  all  hers,  Heidi 
felt,  and  was  so  happy  in  these  exquisite 
possessions  that  she  could  not  find  words 
proper  to  express  her  deep  thankfulness  to 
the  good  heavenly  Father. 

Only  when  the  light  about  her  began  to 
fade,  could  Heidi  tear  herself  away  from 
the  spot.  Then  she  began  to  run  at  such 
pace  up  the  mountain  that  before  long 
she  espied  the  tops  of  the  pine-trees  over 
the  roof,  then  the  hut   itself,  and  on  the 


A   SUiMMER  EVENING  ON  THE   ALM.      357 

bench  her  grandfather,  who  sat  smoking 
his  pipe,  while  the  pine  branches  above 
were  murmurinof  in  the  eveningf  breeze. 
Heidi  hastened  yet  more  her  steps  ;  and 
before  her  grandfather  rightly  knew  who 
was  before  him,  the  child  had  thrown  her 
arms  round  his  neck,  clasping  him  tightly, 
and  repeating  in  her  intense  happiness. 
"  Grandfather,  grandfather,  grandfather  !  " 

The  old  man  was  silent.  His  eyes  were 
moist,  it  was  the  first  time  for  many  years 
that  he  had  shed  tears.  Looseninof  Heidi's 
arms  from  his  neck,  he  placed  her  on  his 
knee,  and  looked  at  her  for  a  moment. 
"  So  you  have  come  home  again,  my  child," 
he  said ;  "  how  is  this  ?  Certainly  they 
haven't  furbished  you  up  much  ;  have  they 
sent  you  away  ?  " 

"  Oh  no,  grandfather,"    said    Heidi    ea 


35^  HEIDI. 

gerly,  "  you  must  not  think  that,  they  were 
all  so  good  to  me,  Klara  and  the  grand- 
mamma and  Mr,  Sesemann  ;  but  do  )Ou 
see,  grandfather,  I  could  not  hold  out  any 
longer,  but  had  to  come  home  to  you  ;  and 
often  I  thought  I  should  stifle,  I  felt  so 
wretched,  but  I  didn't  say  anything  be- 
cause it  would  be  ungrateful.  But  one 
morning  Mr.  Sesemann  called  me  very 
early  —  but  I  think  it  was  what  the  doctor 
said  —  perhaps  it  is  all  written  in  the  let- 
ter," and  Heidi  jumped  down,  and  pulled 
the  letter  and  the  parcel  out  of  the  bas- 
ket, which  she  had  placed  carefully  on  the 
ground  by  the  bench,  and  gave  both  to 
her  grandfather. 

"This  is  yours,"  he  said,  and  put  the 
parc(d  beside  her  on  the  bench.  He  read 
the   letter  in   silence,  and   put   it   into   his 


A   SUMMER   EVENING   ON    IIIK    AI.M.       359 

pocket.  "  Do  you  feel  as  if  you  could 
drink  a  little  milk  with  me,  Heidi  ? "  he 
asked,  taking  the  child's  hand  in  his  to 
go  into  the  hut.  "  But  take  your  money, 
child  ;  with  that  you  can  buy  a  new  bed, 
and  clothes  enough  for  many  years." 

"I  do  not  want  money,  grandfather;  and 
I  have  a  bed,  you  know  ;  and  Klara  has 
given  me  so  many  clothes  that  I  shall 
never  have  to  buy  any,   I  am  sure." 

"  Take  it,  nevertheless,  and  lay  it  in  the 
press ;  you  may  w^ant  it  some  time." 

Heidi  obeyed,  and  danced  into  the  hut 
behind  her  grandfather,  where  she  was 
soon  peeping  into  all  the  corners,  de- 
lighted to  be  once  more  at  home.  From 
the  loft,  however,  her  voice  came  presently 
with  a  troubled  sound,  "O  grandfather,  my 
bed  is  not  here  !  " 


360  HEIDI. 

"  It  will  soon  be  there  again  ;  I  didn't 
know  you  were  coming  back.  Come  down 
for  your  milk." 

The  little  girl  came  down,  seated  herself 
on  her  high  stool  in  her  old  place,  seized 
her  mug,  and  drank  with  such  avidity  that 
her  grandfather  saw  that  she  had  not  lost 
her  old  tastes.  "  There  is  no  milk  in  the 
whole  world  so  good  as  ours,  grandfather," 
she  said,  as  she  replaced  her  mug  with  a 
sigh  of  satisfaction. 

A  shrill,  well-known  whistle  sounded 
without  ;  like  lightning  Heidi  sprang 
through  the  door.  Down  from  the 
heights  came  the  little  army  of  goats,  in 
the  midst  Peter,  who  stood  still  as  if  rooted 
to  the  spot,  and  stared  at  Heidi  in  speech- 
less surprise. 

*'  Good-evening,   Peter,"   called  out  the 


A   SUMMER   EVENING   ON   THE   ALM.      36 1 

child,  and  rushed  in  amongst  the  goats. 
"  SchwanH  !  Barh  !  Do  you  remember  me 
still  ?  "  and  by  their  actions  the  little  crea- 
tures showed  that  they  recognized  her 
voice,  for  they  rubbed  their  heads  against 
her  shoulder,  and  began  to  bleat  passion- 
ately for  joy.  One  after  another  Heidi 
called  them  all  by  name ;  and  they  all  ran 
at  once,  and  pressed  about  her,  the  impa- 
tient Thistlebird  jumping  over  two  other 
goats  to  get  near,  while  Snowball,  forget-, 
ting  her  timidity,  pushed  aside  the  big 
Turk,  who  stood  in  her  way.  Turk,  in 
amazement  at  her  boldness,  raised  his  long 
beard  in  the  air  to  show  that  it  was  he. 

Almost  beside  herself  with  joy  at  finding 
herself  again  amidst  all  these  dear  friends, 
Heidi  put  her  arm  about  the  gentle  little 
Snowball,   stroking   her  again    and   again, 


362  HEIDI. 

and  patted  the  restless  Thistlebird,  and 
was  pushed  and  shoved  b}'  all  the  herd, 
in  their  love  and  confidence,  nearer  and 
nearer  to  Peter,  who  had  never  stirred 
from  the  time  he  saw  her, 

"  Come  down  here,  Peter,  and  bid  me 
good-evening,"  said  Heidi  to  him  at  last. 

"  You  here  again  !  "  he  blurted  out,  re- 
covering his  speech  at  last,  and  took  the 
hand  that  Heidi  had  been  for  some  time 
holding  out  to  him.  Instantly  he  repeated 
the  old  question,  that  he  had  so  often 
asked  in  the  evening  when  the)'  came 
down  from  the  pasture  together,  "Will 
vou  p"0  with  me  aeain  to-morrow?" 

"  No,  not  to-morrow,  but  perhaps  the 
day  after.  To-morrow  I  must  go  down  to 
your  grandmother." 

"  It's  a  good  thing  you've  come  back," 


A    SUMMER    EVENING   ON   THE   AEM.       363 

said  Peter,  and  twisted  his  face  in  every 
conceivable  direction,  in  his  great  satis- 
faction. 

He  started  now  to  go  home,  l^iit  it  w^as 
harder  than  ever  before  to  cfet  the  flock 
away  ;  for  when  by  coaxing  and  threaten- 
ing he  had  collected  them  about  him,  and 
Heidi  began  moving  towards  the  stalls 
with  one  arm  round  Schwanli's  and  the 
other  round  Barli's  head,  then  in  an  in- 
stant they  all  turned  about,  and  ran  back 
to  her.  At  last  she  went  into  the  stalls 
out  of  sight  with  her  two  goats,  and  closed 
the  door,  or  Peter  might  never  have  got 
his  flock  down  the  mountain. 

On  her  return  into  the  hut,  Heidi  found 
her  bed  again  arranged  in  the  loft,  beauti- 
fully high  and  fragrant ;  for  the;  hay  was 
quite  fresh,  and  the  great  white  linen  sheet 


364  HEIDI. 

was  carefully  spread  over  it,  and  tucked 
firmly  under.  Heidi  laid  herself  down, 
and  slept  as  she  had  not  slept  for  an  entire 
year. 

At  least  ten  times  that  night  her  grand- 
father left  his  bed,  and  mounted  the  ladder 
to  see  if  she  slept  quietly,  and  to  try  if  the 
hay  which  he  had  stuffed  into  the  round 
hole  in  the  roof  was  fast ;  for  now  the 
moon  must  not  shine  on  Heidi  as  she  lay 
in  bed.  But  there  was  no  danger  now  for 
the  child,  whose  ei'eat,  ardent  lon^inor  was 
stilled.  She  slept  without  stirring;  for  had 
she  not  seen  the  mountains  and  the  pinna- 
cles glow  in  the  light  of  the  setting  sun  ? 
had  she  not  heard  the  murmuring  pines  ? 
was  she  not  at  home  on  the  Aim  ? 


WHEN   THE   CHURCH-BELLS   RING.        365 


CHAPTER   XIV. 

ON   SUNDAY,    WHEN    THE    CHURCH-BELLS    RING. 

Heidi  stood  under  the  waving  pine 
branches,  waiting  for  her  grandfather,  wlio 
was  going  with  her  to  fetch  her  trunk 
from  Dorfli,  while  she  visited  the  grand- 
mother. The  child  could  hardly  wait  for 
impatience,  to  go  down  to  find  out  how 
the  rolls  had  tasted  to  her  old  friend  ;  and 
yet  the  time  did  not  seem  long,  while  she 
could  listen  to  the  beloved  sound  of  the 
wind  in  the  pines,  and  drink  in  the  per- 
fume and  beauty  of  the  green  pastures. 
She  could  never  be  satiated  with  these. 

Her  grandfather  came  at  last  out  of  the 


365  HEIDI. 

hut,  looked  about  him  with  satisfaction, 
and  said  j^resently,  "  Now  we  can  go 
down." 

To-day  was  Saturday ;  and  the  Aim 
uncle's  custom  had  always  been  to  put 
everything  in  order  on  that  day,  in  and 
about  the  hut,  the  stalls,  and  the  out- 
houses. This  morning  he  had  begun  to 
work  early,  so  that  he  might  go  down 
with  Heidi  in  the  afternoon.  He  well 
might  look  about  him  with  contentment, 
everything  was  so  fresh  and  clean. 

They  separated  at  the  door  of  goat- 
Peter's  mother's  cottage,  and  Heidi  darted 
in.  She  was  expected,  and  received  with 
a  joyous  welcome.  The  blind  woman 
grasped  the  child's  hand,  and  held  it 
tightly,  as  if  fearful  that  her  treasure  might 
be    again    torn   from   her.     The    rolls  had 


WHEN    TI[Ii   CnUKCH-i;ELl,S    RING.        367 

tasted  deliciously,  and  had  so  strengthened 
the  grandmother  that  she  declared  her- 
self quite  another  person.  Brigitte  added. 
that  for  fear  they  would  be  too  soon  gone, 
her  mother  had  only  eaten  a  single  roll 
yesterday  and  to-day  together ;  could  she 
have  one  every  day,  it  might  really  benefit 
her  health. 

Heidi  stood  plunged  in  thought  for 
some  time  after  this  suggestion  of  Bri- 
gitte's  ;  at  last  she  had  hit  upon  a  plan. 

"  I  know  what  I  can  do.  I  can  write  to 
Klara,  and  ask  her  to  send  me  as  many 
more  rolls,  or  twice  as  many ;  for  I  had 
collected  a  great  heap  in  my  press,  and 
wheh  they  were  taken  away  from  me,  Klara 
promised  to  give  me  as  many  more  ;  and 
she  will  do  so,  I  am  sure." 

"  Oh,   that   is  a  good    idea    now,"   said 


368  HEIDI. 

Brigitte,  "  an  excellent  plan ;  but  let  us 
think,  they  would  get  very  hard.  If  now 
and  then  we  could  have  a  fresh  batch ! 
The  baker  in  Dorfli  makes  them,  but  I 
can  only  just  manage  to  get  black  bread." 

Now  Heidi's  eyes  sparkled  with  joy. 
"  Oh,  I  have  a  wonderful  lot  of  money, 
grandmother !  Now  I  know  what  I  will 
do  with  it.  Every  single  day  you  must 
have  a  fresh  roll,  and  on  Sunday  two ; 
Peter  will  bring  them  from  Dorfli ; "  and 
Heidi  fairly  danced  in  her  delight. 

"  No,  child,  no !  that  cannot  be.  Your 
money  was  not  given  to  you  for  that. 
You  must  give  it  to  your  grandfather,  he 
will  tell  you  what  use  to  make  of  it." 

But  the  little  orirl  did  not  mean  to  have 
her  happiness  put  aside  in  this  way.  She 
danced  about,  and  shouted,  and  repeated. 


WHEN   THE  CHURCH-r.ELLS    RING.        369 

**  Yes,  grandmother,  you  shall  have  a  fresh 
roll  ever)^  day,  and  get  strong  again  ;  and 
perhaps  when  you  are  really  strong,"  she 
added  with  fresh  joy,  "  it  will  be  light  for 
you  again  ;  perhaps  it  is  dark  only  oecause 
you  are  so  weak." 

The  good  old  woman  was  silent,  for  she 
would  not  disturb  the  child's  happiness. 
But  as  Heidi  was  leaping  and  capering 
about  the  room,  her  eyes  chanced  to  fall 
on  the  old  hymn-book,  and  with  it  a  new 
idea  came  to  her:  "  I  hav^e  learned  to  read 
very  nicely,  grandmother ;  shall  I  read  you 
something  from  the  old  hymn-book  ?  " 

"O  Heidi!  can  you  really  read?  can  you 
really  ? " 

Down  came  the  book  from  the  shelf, 
where  it  had  lain  undisturbed  for  so  long. 
Heidi  wiped  it  clean,  and  seating  herself 


Tf'JO  HEIDI. 

on  her  footstool,  said  simply,  "  What  shall 
I  read  ?  " 

"  What  you  please,  child,  what  you 
please." 

Almost  breathless  with  expectancy  the 
old  woman  sat,  while  Heidi  turned  the 
leaves,  and  read  here  and  there  softly  to 
herself  a  line  or  two.  "  I  have  found 
something  about  the  sun,  I  will  read  that," 
and  she  began  to  read,  more  and  mo^'e 
earnestly  as  she  went  on,  and  with  greu*«-'r 

emphasis :  — 

"  The  sun's  orb  of  gold 

Brings  joys  untold  ; 

Brings  us  the  showers. 

And  the  shining  hours, 
Brings  heartfelt  rejoicing  and  beautiful  light. 

Heavy  of  heart, 
I  languished  apart; 


WHEN   THE   ClIURCn-]5ELI.S    RING.        37  t 

Now  again  I  am  strong, 
Now  I  raise  my  loud  song, 
Praising  the  Lord  with  my  strength  and  my  might. 

1  see,  up  above, 
\Vhat  God  in  his  love 
Has  made  to  teach  men, 
Again  and  again, 
How  strong  and  how  great  is  his  kingdom  on  high 

How  one  and  how  all, 

Who  list  to  his  call, 
May  gather  in  peace 
Where  all  sorrows  cease, 
When  from  this  earthly  prison  they  fly. 

All  things  go  past, 
God  only  stands  fast ; 
Stands  firm  as  the  rock. 
Scorns  tempest's  rude  shock ; 
His  word  and  his  will  must  forever  endure. 


'^']2  HEIDI. 

His  blessing  and  grace 
Make  holy  each  place ; 
Heal  in  the  heart 
The  aching  and  smart ; 
He  raises  the  dying,  the  sick  he  can  curCo 

Sorrow  and  pain 
Will  ne'er  come  again ; 
The  storm  and  the  wind 
Are  all  left  behind, 
For  the  heavenly  sun  shows  his  beautiful  face. 

Purest  delight, 
Peaceful  and  bright, 
I  now  await 
At  the  heavenly  gate, 
My  heart  and  my  soul  are  all  flooded  with  grace." 

The  grandmother  sat  and  Hstened  with 
folded  hands,  and  with  a  look  of  tran- 
scendent  happiness    such    as     Heidi    had 


"WHEN   THE   CHUKCH-BELLS    RIXG.        373 

never  yet   seen   on   any   face,   while   tears 

coursed  freely  down  her  cheeks.     "  Once 

more,  my  child,  once  more,"  she  begged, 

as  soon  as  the  child's  voice  ceased,  "  read 

once  more,  — 

Sorrow  and  pain 

Will  ne'er  come  again  ;  " 

and   the  child  began  and  read,  with  feel- 
ings of  longing  and  joy  :  — 

"  Sorrow  and  pain 
Will  ne'er  come  again ; 
The  storm  and  the  wind 
Are  all  left  behind, 
For  the  heavenly  sun  shows  his  beautiful  face. 

Purest  delight, 
Peaceful  and  bright, 
I  now  await 
At  the  heavenly  gate, 
My  heart  and  my  soul  are  all  flooded  with  grace." 


374  HEIDI. 

"  That  makes  it  light  for  me,  my  child. 
That  makes  it  light  in  my  heart.  The 
good  you  have  done  me  no  one  knows." 
The  face  of  little  Heidi  was  irradiated  with 
pure  pleasure  as  the  grandmother  thus 
spoke,  for  the  grandmother's  countenance 
seemed  as  if  the  blind  woman  really  saw 
the  heavenly  peace  that  awaited  her. 

At  the  moment  some  one  knocked  upon 
the  window.  It  was  the  Aim  uncle,  who 
was  there  to  take  his  little  granddaughter 
back  with  him. 

She  followed  quickly,  but  not  without 
assuring  her  blind  friend  that  she  would 
come  aofain  on  the  morrow ;  even  if  she 
went  with  Peter  to  the  pasture,  she  would 
come  again  in  the  afternoon.  For  being 
able  to  make  life  bright  for  the  grand- 
mother and  restore  her  to  happiness,  was 


WHEN   THE   CHURCH-BELLS    RING.        375 

the  very  greatest  happiness  that  Heidi 
herself  could  know,  far  better  than  being 
in  the  sunny  pasture  on  the  Aim,  with  the 
flowers  and  the  goats. 

Brigritte  followed  Heidi  to  the  door  with 
the  frock  and  hat  Heidi  had  left,  begging 
the  child  to  take  her  things  home  with  her. 
The  dress  she  did  take,  for  as  her  grand- 
father had  already  recognized  her,  there 
was  nothing  to  fear  in  that  direction  ; "  but 
the  hat  she  persistently  refused  to  touch. 
Brigitte  should  keep  it,  for  Heidi  would 
never,  never  again  put  it  on  her  head. 

Going  up  the  Aim  the  child  recounted 
to  her  grandfather,  as  in  the  old  times,  all 
that  had  happened  in  the  cottage  ;  about 
the  rolls  that  could  be  bought  in  Dorfli, 
and  about  her  reading,  how  she  had  made 
the  grandmother  look  happy,  and  returned 


376  HEIDI. 

at  length  to  the  first  proposition,  saying, 
"Truly,  grandfather,  even  if  the  grand- 
mother will  not  take  it,  you  will  give  it 
all  to  me,  all  the  money?  Then  I '  can 
give  a  piece  every  morning  to  Petef;  to 
buy  a  roll  with,  and  on  Sunday  two." 

"  But  the  bed,  Heidi,"  said  the  Aim 
uncle.  "A  proper  bed  would  be  good 
for  you,  and  there  would  still  be  money 
enough  for  a  good  many  rolls." 

The  child  would  let  him  have  no  peace, 
assuring  him  that  she  slept  far  better  on 
her  bed  of  hay  than  she  ever  did  in  Frank- 
fort on  her  bed  of  down,  and  begging  so 
earnestly  and  persistently  that  at  last  he 
said  :  "  It  is  your  own  money,  do  with  it 
what  you  will.  You  can  buy  rolls  for  the 
grandmother  for  many  long  years." 

*'  Good,  good  !  "    shouted   Heidi>  "  now 


WHEN   THE   CHURCH-r.ELI.S    RING.        377 

there  is  no  more  need  of  her  eating  hard 
black  bread  !  O  grandfather,  now  every- 
thing is  beautiful  ;  it  never  was  so  beau- 
tiful before,  never,  since  we  were  born  !  " 
and  she  danced  along,  holding  her  grand- 
father's hand,  and  sinorinof  Hke  a  bird  carol- 
ling  in  the  sky. 

All  at  once,  however,  she  became 
thoughtful,  and  said :  "  If  the  good  God 
had  granted  my  prayer  at  once,  when  I 
bctreed  him  so  hard,  then  I  should  have 
come  home  long  ago,  and  only  brought 
the  grandmother  a  few  rolls,  and  could 
not  have  read  to  her.  The  o-ood  God 
has  arranged  everything  far  better  than  I 
could  have  done.  It  has  all  come  true, 
as  the  cfrandmamma  told  me  it  would  be. 
I  am  thankful  that  he  did  not  grant  my 
prayer,  when   I    begged    and    complained. 


378  HEIDI. 

Now  I  will  always  pray  as  the  grand- 
mamma told  me,  always  thanking  him  ; 
for  even  if  it  is  not  granted  as  I  ask,  I 
shall  remember  how  it  was  in  Frankfort. 
We  will  pray  together  every  day,  grand- 
father, we  will  not  forget  it ;  and  then  the 
good  God  will   not  forget  us." 

"And  if  any  one  should  forget  it?" 
murmured  the  old  man, 

"  Oh,  then  very  bad  things  happen  ! 
Then  he  lets  him  go  his  own  way,  and 
if  he  complains,  nobody  has  pity  for  him  ; 
but  they  all  say  that  he  forsook  the  good 
God  first,  and  now  he  is  forsaken  of  God, 
who  alone  could  help  him." 

"That  is  true,  my  child;  how  did  you 
find  it  out  ?  " 

"  From  the  grandmamma.  She  ex- 
plained it  all  to  me." 


WHEN   THE   CHURCH-BELLS    RING.        379 

They  walked  on  for  a  while  in  silence. 
Presently  Heidi  heard  these  words  from 
her  grandfather,  who  was  following  out  his 
own  thoughts :  "  And  when  this  is  once  so, 
it  remains  so.  There  is  no  going  back, 
if  God  has  forgotten  a  man  ;  he  is  forever 
forgotten." 

"Oh,  no,  grandfather,  he  can  go  back! 
I  know  that,  too,  from  the  grandmamma, 
and  from  the  beautiful  story  in  the  book 
she  gave  me.  You  never  saw  that  book  ; 
but  we  are  almost  at  home,  and  I  will 
show  it  to  you.  You  will  soon  see  what  a 
beautiful  story  it  is." 

Up  the  steep  the  child  hurried,  and 
rushed  into  the  hut  in  all  haste  to  fetch 
her  precious  book.  The  grandfather  loos- 
ened from  his  back  the  basket  in  which  he 
had  brought  the  half  of  Heidi's  things  up 


380  HEIDI. 

the  Aim  ;  the  trunk  would  have  been  tOG 
heavy  for  him.  Then  he  seated  himself 
thoughtfully  on  the  bench. 

With  her  big  book  under  her  arm  came 
Heidi :  "  That  is  nice,  grandfather,  that  you 
are  all  ready ;  "  and  the  book  seemed  to 
open  of  itself  at  the  oft-read  place.  In 
her  own  earnest  way  the  child  read  of  the 
son,  how  comfortable  he  was  at  home  herd- 
ing his  father's  flocks,  dressed  in  a  beauti- 
ful cloak,  leaning  on  his  staff,  watching  the 
sunset,  as  represented  in  the  picture.  But 
at  last  he  wanted  to  have  his  property  all 
to  himself,  and  be  his  own  master.  He 
demanded  it  of  his  father,  and  went  away 
and  spent  it  all. 

So  when  he  had  nothing  left,  he  was 
obliged  to  go  to  serve  a  peasant,  who  had 
not  beautiful  animals  as  his  father  had,  but 


WHEN   THE   CHURCH-BELLS   RING.        38 1 

only  swine.  These  he  had  to  take  care  of, 
and  was  in  rags,  and  only  had  the  husks  ta 
eat  that  they  gave  the  swine,  and  of  this 
food  but  little.  When  he  thought  of  his 
father's  house,  he  wept  for  homesickness 
and  remorse  ;  and  he  said,  "  I  will  go  to 
my  father,  and  beg  his  forgiveness,  and 
say  to  him,  I  am  not  worthy  to  be  called 
your  son,  but  let  me  be  as  one  of  your 
hired  servants." 

And  as  he  came  near  his  father's  house 
his  father  saw  him,  and  came  running 
towards  him.  "What  do  you  think,  grand- 
father?" said  Heidi,  interrupting  herself 
in  her  reading.  "  Do  you  think  that  his 
father  was  angry,  and  said  to  him,  '  I  told 
you  so'?  Listen,  now,  to  what  is  coming. 
'  And  the  father  saw  him  and  pitied  him, 
and  ran  and  fell  on  his  neck,  and  kissed 


382  HEIDI. 

him.  And  the  son  said,  I  have  sinned 
before  heaven  and  in  thy  sight,  and  am 
no  more  worthy  to  be  called  thy  son. 
But  the  father  said  to  his  servants:  Bring 
the  best  dress,  and  put  it  on  him  ;  and 
put  a  ring  on  his  hand,  and  shoes  on  his 
feet ;  and  bring  the  fatted  calf,  and  kill  it, 
and  let  us  eat,  and  be  merry :  for  this  my 
son  was  dead,  and  is  alive  again  ;  he  was 
lost,  and  is  found.  And  they  began  to  be 
merry.'  " 

"  Is  not  that  a  beautiful  story,  grand- 
father ? "  said  the  child  when  she  had  fin- 
ished, and  felt  sadly  disappointed  that  the 
old  man  sat  silently  by  her  side,  instead  of 
being  pleased,  as  she  had  expected. 

"  Certainly,  the  story  is  beautiful,"  he 
said ;  but  his  face  was  so  serious,  that 
Heidi  sat  perfectly  still  and  looked  at  her 


WHEN   TIIF,   CHURCH-BELLS    RING.        383 

pictures.  Presently  she  gently  pushed  her 
book  before  her  grandfather,  saying,  "  See, 
how  happy  he  is ! "  and  pointed  to  the 
picture  of  the  prodigal,  where  he  stood 
beside  his  father  in  fresh  garments,  and 
was  recognized  as  his  son. 

Some  hours  later,  when  Heidi  had  long 
been  sound  asleep,  her  grandfather  climbed 
the  little  ladder ;  he  placed  his  lamp  near 
Heidi's  bed,  so  that  the  light  shone  on  the 
sleeping  child.  She  lay  there  with  folded 
hands,  for  she  had  not  forgotten  to  pray. 
On  her  face  was  an  expression  of  peace 
and  trust,  that  must  have  appealed  to  her 
grandfather,  for  he  stood  a  long,  long 
time,  and  did  not  move,  his  eyes  fixed 
upon   her. 

At  last  he  too  folded  his  hands,  and 
half    aloud    he    said,    with    bowed    head, 


384  HEIDI. 

'■  Father,  I  have  sinned  against  heaven  and 
in  thy  sight,  and  am  no  more  worthy  to  be 
called  thy  son  ;  "  and  two  great  tears  rolled 
down  his  cheeks. 

Not  many  hours  thereafter,  at  dawn  01 
day,  the  old  man  stood  before  his  hut,  and 
looked  about  him  with  sparkling  eyes. 
The  sunlight  of  the  beautiful  Sunday 
morning  flickered  and  played  ove^^  hill  and 
dale.  Here  and  there  the  sounds  of  an 
early  bell  rose  from  the  valleys ;  the  birds 
were  singing  their  happy  songs  in  the  old 
pines. 

The  old  man  went  back  into  the  hut, 
and  called  to  Heidi :  "  Come,  little  one, 
the  sun  is  up.  Put  on  a  tidy  frock,  we 
will  go  to  church  together." 

Heidi  did  not  keep  him  long  waiting ; 
that  was  a  new  call  from  the  grandfather, 


WHEN   THE   CHURCH-BELLS    RING.        385 

and  one  to  be  followed  widiout  delay.  In 
a  few  minutes  she  came  running  down  in 
her  pretty  Frankfort  dre.ss,  and  stood 
spellbound  at  the  sight  of  her  grandfather, 
in  his  coat  with  silver  buttons,  which  she 
had  never  seen  before.  "  O  grandfather," 
she  broke  forth  at  last,  "  how  handsome 
you  are  in  your  Sunday  coat !  " 

The  old  man  looked  with  a  pleased 
smile  at  the  child,  and  said,  "  And  you  also 
in  yours ;  but  come."  He  took  Heidi's 
hand  in  his,  and  they  wandered  down  the 
m.ountain  together.  On  every  side  sounds 
of  the  sweet  bells  came  towards  them, 
fuller  yet  and  richer ;  and  Heidi  listened 
in  ecstasy,  saying,  "  Do  you  hear,  grand- 
father ?     It  is  like  a  great  festival.' 

Down  in  Dorfli  all  the  people  were 
already  gathered    in   the   church,   and    the 


386  HEIDI. 

singing  had  begun,  when  Heidi  and  thii 
A-lm  uncle  entered  together,  taking  seats 
on  the  last  bench  behind  the  others.  But 
in  the  midst  of  the  singing,  the  villager 
next  them  touched  his  neighbor  with  his 
elbow,  saying,  "  Have  you  seen  the  Aim 
uncle  ?  The  Aim  uncle  is  in  the  church." 
And  they  passed  it  along  from  one  to 
another,  until  it  was  whispered  about  even 
in  the  corners,  '■  The  Aim  uncle.  The 
Aim  uncle  !  "  and  the  women  were  oblieed 
to  keep  turning  round  every  minute,  and 
most  of  them  fell  out  a  little  in  their  sing- 
ing, so  that  the  leader  had  the  greatest 
difficulty  in  keeping  them  together.  But 
when  the  pastor  began  his  sermon,  the 
disturbance  was  quieted;  for  there  was 
such  warmth  of  praise  and  thanksgiving  in 
his  words   that   all   the    conorregfation    was 


WHEN   THE   CIIURCII-liEI.LS    RING.        387 

impressed,   and    it    seemed    as  if    a   great 
blessing  had  passed  over  them  all. 

When  the  service  was  at  an  end,  the 
Aim  uncle,  holding  his  granddaughter  by 
the  hand,  went  out  of  the  church  and  over 
to  the  parsonage  ;  and  ever}body  who  came 
out  with  them,  or  stood  already  outside, 
looked  after  them,  and  the  greater  number 
followed,  to  see  if  he  were  really  going 
into  the  pastor's  house,  which  he  did. 
And  they  gathered  in  groups,  and  talked 
in  the  f^reatest  excitement  over  the  fact 
that  he  had  at  last  appeared  in  the  church  : 
and  they  watched  the  door  of  the  pastor's 
house,  to  see  if  when  he  came  out  he 
would  look  cross  and  angry,  or  seem  in 
peace  with  the  clergyman,  since  no  one 
knew  what  had  brouMit  the  old  man  down, 

o 

nor   what   it   really   might    mean.     A   new 


388  HEIDI. 

feeling  had  sprung  up  among  not  a  few, 
however ;  and  one  of  these  said  to  the 
others  :  "  He  cannot  be  so  bad  after  all,  as 
they  say.  Did  you  not  see  how  carefully 
he  held  the  little  one  by  the  hand  ? "  And 
another  said  :  "I  have  always  said  so  ;  and 
he  would  not  go  to  the  pastor's  if  he  were 
so  out  and  out  bad,  for  he  would  be  afraid. 
People  stretch  things  so."  And  the  baker 
added  :  "  Did  not  I  say  from  the  very  first, 
who  ever  heard  of  a  little  child  that  had  all 
she  wanted  to  eat  and  drink,  and  every- 
thing she  could  wish,  running  home  from 
a  long  way  off  to  a  grandfather  who  was 
harsh,  and  who  made  her  afraid  of  him  ? " 
And  gradually  an  affectionate  feeling  arose 
towards  the  Aim  uncle,  which  gathered 
strength  as  the  women  joined  in,  and  told 
how    much    they   had    heard    from   goat- 


WHEN   THE   CHURCH-BELLS    RING.        389 

Peterkin  and  his  grandmother  that  placed 
the  Ahii  uncle  in  quite  a  different  Hght,  till 
at  last  they  all  began  to  believe  it  was  so, 
and  that  they  were  waiting  there  before 
the  parsonage  to  welcome  back  an  old 
friend,  whom  they  had  long  missed. 

In  the  mean  while  the  Aim  uncle  had 
stepped  to  the  door  of  the  study,  and 
knocked.  The  pastor  opened  the  door 
and  admitted  the  visitors  at  once,  not 
seeming  surprised,  as  he  well  might,  but 
as  if  he  had  been  expecting  them.  Un- 
doubtedly their  appearance  in  the  church 
had  not  escaped  him.  He  seized  the  hand 
of  the  old  man,  and  shook  it  many  times 
most  heartily ;  and  the  uncle  stood  there, 
and  could  not  speak  at  first  from  emotion, 
being  unprepared  for  such  a  reception. 
At   last   collecting    himself,   "  I    came,"   he 


390  HEIDI. 

said,  "  to  beg  the  pastor  to  forget  what  I 
said  to  him  on  the  Ahn,  and  that  he  will 
not  lay  it  up  against  me,  that  I  was  so 
obstinate  concerning  his  well-meant  advice. 
The  pastor  was  perfectly  right,  and  I  was 
wrong ;  but  I  will  now  follow  his  advice, 
and  find  a  lodging  for  myself  for  the  com- 
ing winter  in  Dorfli.  The  winter  is  far  too 
severe  for  this  little  one  up  there,  she  is 
too  delicate  ;  and  even  if  the  people  down 
here  do  look  a  little  askance  at  me,  I  de- 
serve it,  and  the  pastor  will  stand  by  me,  I 
am  sure." 

The  kindly  eyes  of  the  pastor  shone 
with  joy  as  he  took  the  old  man's  hand 
and  pressed  it,  saying,  much  moved  : 
"  Neighbor,  you  have  been  in  the  right 
church  before  you  came  down  to  mine.  1 
am  very  glad  of  this  ;  and  if  you  will  come 


WHEN   THE   CHURCH-BELLS    RING.        39 1 

amongst  us  again  to  live,  yon  shall  not 
have  cause  to  repent,  but  always  find  in 
me  a  Q-ood  fi'iend  and  a  oood  welcome.  I 
shall  look  forward  to  many  pleasant  even- 
ings in  your  society,  which  has  always 
been  agreeable  and  valuable  to  me.  We 
will  also  find  some  good  friends  for  your 
little  grandchild." 

So  saying,  the  pastor  laid  his  hand  on 
Heidi's  curly  head,  and  taking  her  by  the 
hand  led  her  out  while  he  accompanied 
the  grandfather,  and  only  took  leave  of 
him  outside  before  the  house  door.  So  all 
the  people  standing  about  saw  how  the 
pastor  held  the  Aim  uncle's  hand,  and  kept 
shaking  it,  as  if  he  were  his  dearest  friend, 
from  whom  he  could  not  bear  to  part. 
.Scarcely  had  the  door  closed  when  they  all 
came  crowding  round  the  Aim  uncle,  and 


392  HEIDI. 

each  one  wished  to  be  first,  and  so  many 
hands  were  stretched  out  that  he  did  not 
know  which  one  to  take  ;  and  this  one 
«aid,  "  I  am  very  glad,  uncle,  that  you 
have  come  amongst  us  acrain  ;  "  and 
another,  "  I  have  long  wished  to  exchange 
friendly  words  with  you,  uncle  ;  "  and  so  it 
went  on  from  all  sides  ;  and  when  he  told 
them  that  he  thought  of  coming  down  to 
live  amongst  them  in  the  winter,  there  was 
so  much  ado  that  one  woidd  have  thouo-ht 
some  old  friend  was  returning  to  Dorfli, 
whose  absence  had  been  sorely  felt  by  all. 
A  good  way  up  on  the  Aim  were  the 
grandfather  and  the  child  accompanied  by 
many  of  the  villagers,  and  many  begged 
him,  at  parting,  to  call  at  their  houses 
when  he  next  came  down  their  way. 
When  the  people  had  turned  back  down 


WHEN   THE   CHURCH-BELLS    RING         393 

the  mountain,  the  old  man  stood,  and 
looked  after  their  retreat i no-  forms  with 
such  a  o-low  on  his  face  that  it  seemed  as  if 
the  sun  itself  was  shininp;  forth  from  within 
him  ;  and  Heidi  said,  quite  overjoyed  : 
"  Grandfather,  to-day  )'ou  grow  more  and 
more  handsome  all  the  time ;  you  never 
looked  so  before." 

"Do  you  think  so,  Heidi?"  said  he, 
smiling.  "  Yes,  to-day  it  is  well  with 
me,  more  so  than  I  can  understand  or 
deserve.  To  be  at  peace  with  God  and 
man,  that  is  well-being  indeed.  The  good 
God  meant  this  when  he  sent  you  to  the 
Aim,  Heidi." 

When  the)'  reached  the  goat- Peter's  cot- 
tage, the  old  man  opened  the  door  and 
entered.  "  God  bless  you,  grandmother  !  " 
he   cried  ;    "  shall   we    go    to   the    quilting 


394  HEIDI. 

together,  before  the  autumn  winds  biO\« 
strong  ? " 

"  O  Heaven !  that  is  the  uncle,"  cried 
out  the  old  woman  in  delighted  surprise. 
''That  I  should  have  lived  to  see  it'!  Now 
I  can  thank  you  for  all  the  kind  things  you 
have  done  for  us.  May  God  reward  you  ! 
May  he  reward  you  !  "  With  trembling  joy 
she  pressed  the  hand  of  her  old  friend,  and 
continued  :  "  I  have  one  request  to  make 
of  you,  uncle:  if  I  have  ever  done  you 
any  harm,  do  not  punish  me  by  letting 
Heidi  go  away  again,  before  I  lie  in  the 
churchyard.  You  do  not  know  what  she 
is  to  me  !  "  and  she  held  the  child  fast,  for 
Heidi  had  already  nestled  into  her  accus- 
tomed place. 

"Do  not  be  troubled,  grandmother;  I 
will  punish  neitner  you  nor  myself  in  that 


WHEN   THE   CIIURCII-15ELLS    RING.        395 

way.  We  will  all  remain  together,  and 
Heaven  grant  that  it  may  be  for  long. 

At  this  moment  Brigitte  drew  the  un- 
cle away  into  a  corner  quite  mysteriously, 
showing  him  the  pretty  hat  and  feather, 
and  telling  him  all  the  little  story,  and  that 
of  course  she  was  not  one  to  take  such  a 
thing  from  a  child.  Most  approvingly  the 
grandfather  looked  at  his  Heidi.  "  The 
hat  is  hers,"  he  said,  "  and  if  she  will  not 
put  it  on  again,  that  is  all  right ;  and  if  she 
gave  it  to  you,  keep  you  it." 

Brigitte  was  delighted  at  this  unex- 
pected decision.  "  It  is  certainly  worth 
more  than  two  dollars,  just  look  at  it !"  she 
exclaimed,  holding  the  hat  high  above  her 
head.  "  Just  think  what  wonderful  things 
the  child  has  brought  back  from  Frank- 
fort !     I  have  thought  a  great  deal  about 


39*5  HEIDI. 

sending  my  Peterkin  there.  What  is  your 
opinion,  uncle  ?  " 

With  a  merry  twinkle  in  his  eyes,  the 
uncle  declared  that  in  his  view  it  could  not 
do  Peter  any  harm  ;  but  it  would  be  best 
to  wait  for  a  good  opportunity. 

At  the  moment  the  individual  spoken 
of  came  in  at  the  door,  not,  however,  until 
he  had  almost  broken  his  head  against  it, 
for  in  his  haste  he  had  struck  it,  making 
everything  shake  and  jingle.  Something 
unheard  of  had  happened,  an  event  indeed, 
a  letter  with  Heidi's  name  and  address! 
Peter  stood  still  in  the  middle  of  the  room, 
and  held  it  towards  the  child  ;  he  had  got 
it  in  Dorfli  from  the  postman.  The  letter 
was  from  Klara  Sesemann.  All  the  little 
company  seated  themselves  around  the 
table,  and  Heidi  read  aloud,  and  without 


WHEN   THE  CHURCII-BELLS   RING.       397 

Stumbling",  how  Klara  had  found  the  time 
very  tedious  since  Heidi's  departure,  and 
that  she  liad  begged  her  father  so  hard  to 
take  her  to  Rao-atzbad,  tliat  lie  had  at  last 
promised  to  do  so  in  the  coming-  autumn  ; 
and  her  orandmamma  would  come  also, 
for  she  wished  to  visit  Heidi  and  her  grand- 
father on  the  Aim,  This  message  the 
grandmamma  sent  Heidi  :  that  it  was  quite 
riofht  for  her  to  wish  to  bringf  the  rolls  to 
the  blind  grandmother,  and  lest  they  should 
taste  very  diy  she  must  have  some  coffee 
to  moisten  them,  and  some  was  already  on 
the  way  ;  also  she  hoped  to  visit  the  grand- 
mother herself  when  she  came  to  Dorfli. 

Now  came  questions  and  wonderings, 
and  all  were  so  busy  that  even  the  Aim 
uncle  did  not  observe  how  late  it  had 
grown,  while  they  were  all  rejoicing  in  the 


39^  HEIDI. 

coming  pleasures,  and  still  more  in  that 
they  were  all  together  again.  At  last  the 
ofrandmother  said  :  "  The  best  of  all  is 
when  an  old  friend  comes  and  gives  you 
his  hand,  just  as  he  did  long  ago  ;  that  is  a 
blessed  comfort.  You  will  come  again 
soon,  uncle,  and  bring  me  Heidi?" 

The  uncle  promised,  and  gave  his  hand 
on  it.  Now,  indeed,  it  was  time  to  depart ; 
and  Heidi  and  her  grandfather  climbed  to- 
gether the  Aim,  and  the  sweet  music  that 
had  called  them  in  the  rorning  to  the 
valley  seemed  to  float  again  about  tliem, 
as  they  returned  to  their  dear  mountain 
home,  which  lay  shining  so  peacefully  in 
the  warm  golden  evening  light. 

When  Grandmamma  Sesemann  comes 
up  in  the  autumn,  there  will  certainly  be 
many  more   charming  surprises  for  Heidi 


WHEN   THE   CFIURCIT-DELLS    RING.        399 

and  the  blind  grandmother,  perhaps  even 
a  new  bed  in  the  hayloft  ;  for  wherever 
the  grandmamma  enters,  all  sorts  of  things 
fall  into  place,  and  everything  goes  har- 
mpniousiy  without  and  within. 


elND   OF  VOL.    I. 


PART  II. 

HOW    HEIDI    USED    WHAl 
SHE  LEARNED. 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

I.   Preparations  for  a  Journey 5 

II    A  Guest  on  the  Alm     .    , 24 

III.  A  Recompense     .     .             47 

IV.  Winter  in  DOrfli 70 

V.  The  Winter  still  continues 98 

VI.   Distant  Friends  bestir  themselves     ...  116 

VII.   More  about  the  Life  on  the  Alp    ....  157 

VIII.   Something  happens  that  no  one  expected  179 

IX.  A  Parting,  but  not  forever 216 


HEIDI. 

CHAPTER    I. 

PREPARATIONS    FOR   A   JOURNEY. 

Our  kind  old  Dr.  Classen,  who  had 
decided  so  providentially  that  the  child 
Heidi  should  be  sent  back  to  her  grand- 
father, was  walking  slowly  through  the 
wide  streets  of  Frankfort  towards  Mr. 
Sesemann's  house,  one  sunny  afternoon  in 
September.  The  day  was  so  bright  and 
beautiful  that  it  seemed  as  if  all  the  world 
must  rejoice  ;  but  the  doctor's  eyes  were 
fixed  on  the  stones  beneath  his  feet,  and 
hf  did    not  once   raise  them  towards  the 


6  HEIDI. 

blue  heavens.  His  face  wore  an  expression 
of  deep  sadness,  and  his  hair  had  grown 
white  since  the  spring ;  for  the  doctor  had 
lost  his  only  daughter,  a  lovely  girl,  who 
since  her  mother's  death  had  been  his 
most  intimate  companion.  No  wonder 
that  the  doctor's  patients  missed,  in  their 
sick-rooms,  the  cheerfulness  that  hod 
seemed  unfailing. 

At  the  stroke  of  the  hall  clock  Sebastian 
opened  the  door  with  every  demonstration 
of  respectful  sympathy  ;  for  the  good  doc- 
tor was  looked  upon  as  the  friend,  not  only 
of  the  master  of  the  house,  but  of  the 
entire  household.  Sebastian's  deep  obei- 
sance, however,  as  he  followed  the  doctor 
up-stairs,  was  naturally  lost  as  an  expres- 
sion of  good  feeling,  since  the  doctor  pos- 
sessed no  eyes  in  the  back  of  his  head. 


PREPARATIONS    FOR   A   JOURNEY.  7 

"  I  am  most  glad  that  you  have  come, 
doctor,"  said  Mr.  Sesemann.  as  he  grasped 
his  friend's  hand.  "  I  must  talk  to  you 
again  and  more  about  your  last  decision 
':oncerning  Klara.  To  me  she  seems  very 
much  better,  and  I  cannot  agree  with  you 
exactly." 

"  I  do  not  understand  your  conduct  in 
this  matter  at  all,  my  dear  friend,  I  must 
confess,"  said  the  doctor,  seating  himself. 
"  I  really  wish  that  your  mother  were  here. 
With  her  everything  is  plain  and  simple, 
she  sees  things  in  their  just  bearings;  with 
you  there  is  no  possibility  of  a  decision. 
You  have  already  sent  for  me  three  times, 
and  I  can  only  tell  you  the  same  thing  each 
time." 

"  Yes,  it  must  seem  very  foolish  to  you, 
doctor,"    said    Mr.    Sesemann,    laying    his 


8  HEIDI. 

hand  affectionately  on  his  friend's  shoul- 
der;  "but  you  can  also  understand  that 
it  is  hard  for  me  to  deprive  Klara  of  the 
pleasure  she  has  been  so  eagerly  looking 
forward  to,  the  trip  to  Switzerland  and  the 
visit  to  Heidi,  that  she  has  been  consoling 
herself  with  for  so  many  long  days  and 
months.  It  is  almost  impossible  for  me  to 
do  it." 

"  Yet  it  must  be  done,  Sesemann,"  said 
the  doctor  very  decidedly ;  then,  seeing 
how  sad  and  dejected  his  friend  still  looked, 
he  added  :  "  Consider  it  rationally.  For 
years  Klara  has  not  had  such  a  bad  sum- 
mer as  this  one.  It  would  be  madness  iii 
you  to  undertake  a  long  journey  with  her 
in  this  condition.  It  is  almost  the  middle 
of  September  now,  and  though  it  may  be 
still  fine  on  the  Alp,  yet  the  days  are  grow- 


PREPARATIONS    FOR    A   JOURNEY.  9 

ing  short,  and  uill  soon  he  cold.  Klara 
could  not  pass  the  nights  on  the  mountain, 
she  could  stay  there  only  a  few  hours  of 
each  day.  The  journey  from  Ragatzbad 
must  require  at  least  several  hours  to  per- 
form, and  Klara  would  have  to  be  carried 
up  the  mountain  in  a  chair.  In  short, 
Sesemann,  the  thing  is  impossible.  I  will 
go  in  with  you  and  talk  with  Klara ;  she  is 
a  sensible  girl,  and  I  will  tell  her  of  a  plan 
I  have  made  for  her.  With  the  coming 
spring  she  shall  go  to  Ragatzbad,  and  take 
a  course  of  baths  there,  until  it  is  fairly 
warm  on  the  mountain.  Then  .she  can  be 
carried  up  from  time  to  time,  and  her 
mountain  visits  will  enliven  and  strenp-then 
her,  so  that  she  can  derive  both  pleasure 
and  benefit  from  them,  which  would  not 
now  be    the   case.     Do  you  quite    under- 


lO  HEIDI. 

Stand,  Sesemann,  that  the  only  reasonable 
hope  for  your  child's  ultimate  recovery  is 
throuoh  the  most  careful  nursino-  and 
watchfulness  ?  " 

Klara's  father,  who  had  been  listening  in 
silence,  rose  now  to  his  feet  with  charac- 
teristic impatience,  saying,  "  Doctor,  tell 
me  truly,  do  you  see  any  reason  to  expect 
soon  a  radical  irnprovement  in  my  daugh- 
ter's condition  ? " 

The  doctor  shrugged  his  shoulders. 
"  VeryMittle,"  he  said  softly.  "But  think 
a  moment,  my  friend,  contrast  your  posi- 
tion with  mine.  Your  child  is  with  you,  in 
your  home.  She  longs  for  you  in  your 
absence,  and  welcomes  you  when  you  re- 
turn. No  lonely,  empty  house  awaits  you  ; 
you  have  a  companion  at  the  table,  and  a 
charming  one.     How  much  Klara  can  en- 


PREPARATIONS    FOR   A   JOURNEY.  I  1 

joy,  surrounded  as  she  is  by  every  luxury 
and  fostering  care,  sheltered  from  so  much, 
if  also  deprived  of  a  great  deal  !  No, 
Sesemann,  you  cannot  account  yourself 
wholly  unhappy,  for  you  are  not  alone. 
Think  of  my  house,  how  it  is  desolate." 

As  was  his  habit  when  excited,  and  when 
forced  to  an  unpleasant  decision,  Mr.  Sese- 
mann now  began  to  pace  the  room  with 
great  strides.  At  last  he  stopped,  tapped 
his  friend  several  times  on  the  shoulder, 
and  said  kindly:  "Doctor,  I  cannot  bear 
to  see  you  so  depressed,  it  is  not  you. 
You  must  shake  off  this  sadness,  and  come 
out  of  yourself  a  little.  I  have  hit  upon 
an  excellent  plan.  You  are  to  go  up  to 
the  Alp,  to  visit  the  little  Swiss  girl  and 
her  grandfather  in  our  name."  Greatly 
taken  by  surprise  at  this  unexpected  pro 


1 2  HEIDI. 

posal,  the  doctor  would  have  decHned  at 
once,  had  his  friend  given  him  time  ;  but 
the  latter  was  so  enchanted  with  his  bril- 
liant project,  that  he  seized  the  doctor's 
arm,  and  almost  forced  him  into  the  room 
where   Klara  was  reclining. 

The  sick  girl  had  always  a  cordial  wel- 
come for  her  old  friend  and  physician, 
who  had  whiled  away  many  an  hour  for  her 
with  his  cheerful  jokes  and  pleasant  stories. 
This  she  did  not  look  for  now,  but  would 
gladly  have  cheered  his  sadness,  had  she 
known  how.  She  held  out  her  hand  to 
him,  and  he  placed  himself  near  her.  Her 
father  went  round  to  the  other  side  of  her 
chair,  and  began  at  once  upon  the  trip  to 
Switzerland  which  had  been  promised,  and 
from  which  Klara  had  anticipated  so  much 
pleasure.     Now  that  must  be  given  up,  her 


I 


PREPARATIONS    FOR   A   JOURNEY.  1 3 

health  was  not  equal  to  it  at  present,  he 
said,  and  hastened  —  for  he  dreaded  the 
coming  tears  —  to  introduce  a  diversion, 
How  would  it  do  lor  the  doctor  to  go  up 
in  their  stead  ?  \\  as  not  that  a  good  plan. 
a  good  change  for  their  friend,  if  they 
could  persuade  him  to  it? 

Klara  choked  down  her  tears,  knowing 
well  how  the  sio^ht  of  them  distressed  her 
father,  but  she  was  almost  overwhelmed 
with  her  sense  of  disappointment.  To  be 
called  upon  thus  suddenly  to  relinquish 
all  hope  of  the  cherished  Swiss  journey, 
and  the  pleasure  of  seeing  Heidi,  w^hich 
had  sustained  her  through  long  hours  of 
pain,  was  indeed  hard.  She  did  not  need 
to  be  told,  how^ever,  that  her  father  only 
deprived  her  of  this  indulgence  because 
it  would  be  to  her  injury ;   and  she  reso- 


14  HEIDI. 

lutely  addressed  herself  to  the  sole  resource 
which  remained  to  her. 

"  Will  you  really  go,  dear  Dr.  Classen,'' 
she  said  coaxingly,  stroking  the  hand  she 
had  taken,  "go  to  see  Heidi,  and  how 
they  really  live  up  there  on  the  Alp  ?  and 
see  her  grandfather,  and  Peter,  and  the 
goats,  that  I've  heard  so  much  about  ? 
And  you  will  take  Heidi  all  the  pi-esents 
that  I  had  arranged  to  take  with  me,  won't 
you  ?  I  have  something  for  the  blind 
grandmother,  too.  If  you  will  go,  you 
dear  doctor,  I  will  promise  to  take  all  the 
cod-liver  oil  you  wish  me  to,  while  you 
are  away." 

We  cannot  be  sure  that  this  last  argu- 
ment was  the  determining  one,  but  to  this, 
at  least,  the  doctor  answered :  "If  that  is 
your  promise,  I  will  certainly  go,  Klara,  for 


I 


PREPARATIONS    FOR   A   JOURNEY.  15 

you  would  become  as  sound  and  firm  as 
we  wish  )Ou  to  be,  papa  and  I.  Have  you 
also  arranged  how  soon  I  shall  start  ?  "  he 
asked,  smiling. 

"To-morrow  morning,  if  possible." 

"  Yes,  she  is  right,"  added  her  father. 
"  The  sun  shines,  the  skies  are  blue  ;  no 
time  should  be  lost.  Such  days  as  thest". 
you  ought  to  be  spending  on  the  Alp." 

"The  next  step  will  be  to  find  fault  with 
me  because  I  have  not  already  started," 
said  the  doctor,  laughing ;  "  and  to  pre- 
vent this  misfortune,  I  will  go  off  at 
once." 

But  Klara  detained  him  yet  a  little 
longer.  She  had  many  messages  that  she 
wished  to  send  to  Heidi  ;  and  she  beoro-ed 
him  to  take  note  of  the  interior  of  the 
hut,  and  in  fact  of  everything  that  she  had 


1 6  HEIDI. 

heard  of  again  and  again,  in  her  long  talks 
with  her  little  friend.  She  said  the  bundle 
of  presents  should  be  sent  to  the  doctor  at 
his  house,  as  soon  as  Miss  Rottenmeier 
returned  to  pack  them.  Just  now,  indeed, 
she  was  out  on  one  of  her  shopping  expe- 
ditions, that  might  last  all  day. 

Dr.  Classen  assured  his  friends,  who 
were  very  anxious  to  be  rid  of  him,  he 
said,  that  he  would  carry  out  all  their 
wishes.  If  he  could  not  get  off  on  the 
morrow,  it  should  certainly  be  postponed 
only  a  day  later  ;  and  as  soon  as  he  re- 
turned he  would  hasten  to  give  Klara  an 
account  of  all  he  had  seen  and  heard. 

The  servants  in  a  house  have  often  a 
wonderful  knack  of  finding  out  what  is 
taking  place  in  the  family,  before  they  are 
supposed    to    know    anything     about     it. 


PREPARATIONS    FOR   A   JOURNEY.  I  7 

Both  Sebastian  and  Tinette  must  have 
possessed  this  faculty  to  a  remarkable 
deo-ree  ;  for  while  Sebastian  was  conduct- 
ing  the  doctor  down-stairs,  Tinette  made 
her  appearance  in  her  mistress's  room 
without  being  summoned. 

"  Take  the  box  from  the  table  over  by 
the  window,  Tinette,  and  fill  it  with  cakes 
quite  fresh,  such  as  we  have  with  oui 
coffee,"  said  Klara,  pointing  to  a  box  that 
had  been  procured  for  this  very  purpose. 

The  maid  took  the  box  contemptuously 
by  the  corner,  swinging  it  as  she  left  the 
room,  and  scarcely  waiting  till  the  door 
was  closed,  to  say,  "  This  is  worth  while, 
indeed  !  "  in  her  usual  saucy  style,  for  she 
knew  for  whom  the  fresh  cakes  were 
destined. 

Sebastian,    too,    as    he    conducted    the 


15  HEIDI. 

doctor  to  the  door,  betrayed  himself  thus . 
"  Will  Dr.  Classen  be  so  good  as  to  give 
a  kind  greeting  from  me  to  the  little  mam- 
selle  ? " 

"  Hallo,  Sebastian,"  said  the  doctor  not 
unkindly,  "  how  did  )'ou  know  that  I  was 
going  up  there,  pray  ?  " 

"I  was  —  I  had  —  I  hardly  know  now 
—  oh,  yes,  I  remember  !  I  was  just  acci- 
dentally passing  through  the  dining-room, 
when  I  heard  the  name  of  mamselle 
spoken  by  some  one  ;  and  as  it  so  often 
happens,  one  thought  led  to  another,  and 
so  —  " 

"Yes,  yes;  the  more  a  man  thinks,  the 
more  he  fmds  out  of  what  is  going  on  ?  is 
that  it  ?  Good-bye  ;  I  will  take  )our  mes- 
sage." 

Already  the   good   doctor  was   hurrjing 


PREPARATIONS    FOR    A   JOURNEY.  IQ 

through  the  doorwa)',  where  he  met  with 
a  decided  obstacle.  A  strong  wind  had 
arisen,  which  deterred  the  housekeeper 
from  pursuing  further  her  shopping  expe- 
dition. As  she  was  quickly  entering  the 
house,  a  gust  caught  her  shawl,  extending 
it  on  each  side  until  she  looked  like  a  ship 
under  full  sail.  The  doctor  drew  back, 
somewhat  startled  at  the  apparition.  Miss 
Rottenmeier,  be  it  known,  had  lono"  cher- 
ished  a  profound  admiration,  not  to  say 
affection,  for  Dr.  Classen  ;  and  she  also 
drew  back  with  marked  politeness,  mean- 
ing to  make  way  for  him  to  pass.  But  the 
wind  had  other  intentions,  and  with  a  tre- 
mendous puff  sent  her,  with  all  her  sails 
extended  to  the  utmost,  full  against  the 
physician.  He  drew  back  in  time  to  pre- 
vent shipwreck,  but  the  housekeeper  was 


20  HEIDI. 

SO  near  upon  him  that  she  had  to  fall  off  a 
little  in  order  to  make  her  courtesy.  She 
was  much  disturbed  by  this  untoward  oc- 
currence ;  but  the  wily  doctor  had  knowl- 
edge of  the  world  and  women,  and  soon 
smoothed  her  ruffled  temper  with  soft 
words.  He  confided  to  her  his  project  of 
going  himself  on  the  Swiss  journey,  in- 
stead of  Klara,  and  begged  of  her  to  care- 
fully pack  the  case  of  presents  for  him  to 
take  to  the  little  Heidi,  for  no  one  could 
pack  so  nicely  and  firmly  as  Miss  Rotten- 
meier.  On  this  the  doctor  made  his 
escape. 

Klara  had  been  nerving  herself  for  a 
contest  with  the  housekeeper  over  the 
gifts  to  be  sent  off  by  the  doctor,  but  to 
her  surprise,  that  lady  was  complaisance 
itself.     The  table  was  cleared  at  once,  and 


\ 


PREPARATIONS   FOR  A  JOURNEY.  21 

the  various  packages  arranged  upon  it,  so 
that  the  best  way  to  tie  them  up  compactly 
could  be  seen  before  the  work  began  ;  and 
it  was  really  a  task  of  some  difficulty, 
owing  to  the  various  sizes  and  shapes  of 
the  articles. 

There  was  a  long,  thick  mantle,  with 
a  warm  hood  attached,  for  Heidi  to  wear, 
instead  of  being  wrapped  in  the  sack,  so 
that  the  little  girl  could  walk  by  herself, 
when  she  visited  the  grandmother.  Then 
came  a  thick,  soft  shawl,  for  the  blind 
woman  to  wrap  about  her  in  the  cold 
weather,  when  the  wind  whistled  so 
fiercely  about  the  cottage.  Then  came  th(^ 
great  box  of  fresh  cakes,  which  also  was 
intended  for  the  grandmother,  and  follow- 
ing upon  it,  a  huge  sausage.  This  Klaia 
had    at    first    intended    solely    for    i^eler's 


22  HEIDI. 

consumption,  because  he  never  had  any 
change  from  the  black  bread  and  cheese  ; 
but  she  decided,  after  further  considera- 
tion, to  send  it  to  his  mother,  lest  Peter 
should  make  himself  ill  by  eating  it  all  at 
once.  Then  there  was  a  bag  of  tobacco 
for  the  grandfather,  who  was  so  fond  of 
smoking  his  pipe  on  the  bench,  in  front 
of  the  hut,  in  the  afternoon.  After  these 
came  a  quantity  of  mysterious  packages 
of  all  sorts,  which  Klara  had  prepared  to 
surprise  and  please  her  little  friend. 

At  last  the  great  work  was  accomplished. 
Miss  Rottenmeier  stood  a  while,  deeply 
sunk  in  admiration  at  her  own  prowess 
as  a  packer.  Klara  looked  at  the  bundle 
also  ;  but  her  thoughts  were  far  awa)',  pic- 
turing" the  scene  when  the  child  should 
open   it,  and   how  she   would   spring   into 


PREPARATION:*    FOR    A    JOURNEY.  23 

the  air  and  shout  for  ver)^  joy.  Then 
Sebastian  was  called,  who  swung  the  big 
bale  upon  his  shoulder,  and  carried  it 
straightway  to  the  doctor's  house. 


24  HEIDI. 


CHAPTER   II. 

A    GUEST   ON    THE    ALM. 

The  rose  of  dawn  glowed  on  the  moun- 
tain peaks  ;  a  fresh  morning  wind  rustled 
through  the  pine  branches,  and  swayed 
them  back  and  forth.  Heidi  heard  it,  and 
opened  her  eyes.  The  sound,  as  ever, 
seemed  to  enter  into  the  child's  inmost 
being,  and  drew  her  irresistibly  forth  under 
the  trees.  She  sprang  quickly  from  her 
bed,  and  scarcely  had  time  to  get  dressed 
for  breakfast ;  but  that  had  to  be  done,  for 
the  little  girl  knew  well  now  that  one's 
appearance  ought  always  to  be  neat  and 
orderly. 


A   GUEST   ON   THE   ALM.  25 

Presently  she  came  down  the  httle 
ladder ;  her  grandfatlier's  bed  was  already 
empty ;  out  she  ran.  Her  grandfather 
stood  looking"  at  the  heavens,  as  he  did 
every  morning,  to  see  what  the  weather 
was  to  be.  Rosy  clouds  moved  across  the 
sky,  and  the  blue  Increased  constantly ; 
the  heights  and  the  pasture-land  were 
flooded  with  golden  light,  for  at  the  mo- 
ment the  sun  was  climbing  over  the  lofty 
peaks. 

"Oh,  how  beautiful!  how  beautiful!" 
cried  Heidi;  "good-morning,  grandfather." 

"  Good-morning  to  your  bright  eyes," 
said  the  old  man,  and  gave  her  his  hand. 

Then  Heidi  ran  under  the  pines,  and 
danced  to  the  sound  of  the  wind  in  them, 
now  leaping  higher  as  the  sound  grew 
louder,  now  skipping  gently  as  it  fell  to  3 


2  6  HEIDI. 

murmur,   and   growing  happier  and   more 
radiant  as  she  went  on. 

Meanwhile  her  grandfather  had  gone  to 
the  stalls  to  milk  the  goats,  and  to  wash 
and  comb  them.  Presently  he  led  them  to 
the  grass-plat  before  the  hut,  ready  for 
their  morning  trip  to  the  pasture.  Seeing 
her  little  friends,  Heidi  ran  towards  them, 
caressing  them  and  speaking  gently  to 
them,  with  an  arm  round  each.  They,  in 
return,  bleated  confidingly,  and  pressed 
each  one  its  head  closer  and  closer  to 
Heidi's  shoulder,  so  that  she  was  squeezed 
tightly  between  them.  She  had  no  fear  of 
being  hurt,  however ;  for  when  the  lively 
Barli  pressed  too  roughly  with  her  head, 
the  child  had  but  to  say,  "  Biirli  must  not 
strike  like  the  big  Turk,"  and  in  a  mo- 
ment the  goat  drew  back  her    head,  and 


I 


A   GUEST  ON   THE   AT.M.  2/ 

Straightened  herself  quite  decorously  ;  and 
Schwanli,  too,  raised  her  head  with  a 
oracehil  movement,  as  if  to  say,  "  No  one 
shall  reproach  me  with  behaving  like  the 
rough  Turk;"  for  the  snow-white  Schwanli 
was  a  trifle  more  genteel  than  Barli,  who 
was  brown. 

Peter's  shrill  whistle  was  now  heard,  and 
the  nimble  Thistlebird,  as  usual,  appeared 
in  advance  of  the  flock.  With  noisy  greet- 
ings the  goats  all  pressed  round  the  little 
girl,  each  pushing  her  this  way  and  that ; 
and  she  also  pushed  a  little,  for  she  wished 
to  reach  to  where  the  timid  Snowball  stood 
apart ;  that  little  animal  was  always  over- 
mastered by  the  others  in  her  efforts  to 
reach  Heidi. 

Meanwhile  Peter  was  waiting  his  turn, 
and  gave  a  terrible  whistle   to  startle   his 


28  HEIDI. 

flock,  and  make  them  give  way  for  him. 
"To-day  you  can  come  with  us  again,"  was 
his  somewhat  brusque  salutation. 

"  No,  I  cannot,  Peter  ;  at  any  moment 
they  may  come  from  Frankfort,  and  I  must 
be  here  at  home." 

"That  you  have  said  again  and  again 
for  a  long  time,"  grumbled  the  lad. 

"  And  I  shall  keep  on  saying  it  again 
and  again,  until  they  come.  Do  you 
really  mean  it,  that  you  think  I  ought  to 
be  away  when  the)^  come  from  Frankfort 
to  see  me  ?  Do  you  mean  to  say  that. 
Peter  ? " 

"They  can  stay  with  the  uncle,"  said 
the  lad  snappishly. 

"Why  does  not  the  army  march?"  said 
the  powerful  voice  of  the  old  man  from 
the  hut.     "Is  it  the  fault  of  the  marshal, 


I 


A   GUEST   ON  THE   ALM.  29 

or  his  troops  ? "  There  was  a  sound  in 
the  voice  that  Peter,  and  his  goats,  it 
would  seem,  knew  well,  for  off  they  all 
scrambled  together  up  the  mountain. 

Heidi  now  ran  into  the  cottage.  Since 
her  visit  to  Frankfort  many  things  fell 
under  the  child's  observation  in  the  hut, 
that  did  not  before  strike  her  as  out  of  the 
way.  She  could  no  longer  see  anything 
lying  about,  or  hanging  where  it  did  not 
belong.  She  gathered  together  everything 
that  made  the  room  look  disorderly,  and 
put  it  into  the  press,  and  smoothed  and 
patted  her  own  bed  in  the  loft  for  a  long 
time  every  morning,  to  get  it  into  proper 
shape.  The  stools  and  benches  must  be 
placed  in  order,  and  she  wiped  and  pol- 
ished the  table  so  long  with  her  cloth  that 

r 

it  was  quite  white.     Her  grandfather  often 


30  HEIDI. 

came  In  while  she  was  at  work,  and  looked 
on  with  a  pleased  air,  saying,  "  My  little 
maiden  did  not  go  away  and  learn  noth- 
ing," or,  "  'Tis  always  Sunday  with  us  here, 
since  Heidi  came  back," 

So  to-day  when  Peter  and  his  army  had 
gone  off,  and  she  and  her  grandfather 
had  breakfasted,  she  went  straight  to  her 
housework  ;  but  she  was  not  very  ready 
therewith.  It  was  so  beautiful  outside  to- 
day, every  moment  something  happened 
that  called  off  her  attention  from  her  work. 
A  bright  sunbeam  at  last  came  through 
the  window,  seeming  to  say,  "  Come  out ! 
come  out!"  It  was  not  to  be  resisted, 
and  out  she  w^ent.  The  sparkling  sun- 
shine lay  all  about  her,  the  mountain  was 
lighted  above,  and  the  valle)-  flooded 
below,  with    its  warm    beauty.      Over  on 


A    GUEST   ON   THE    ALM.  3  I 

yonder  grassy  slope  it  looked  so  soft  and 
enticing-  that  the  child  scarcely  could  re- 
strain her  impulse  to  dash  over  there,  to 
look  out  over  the  wide-stretched  vale  ;  but 
she  remembered  that  the  three -lee^ored 
stool  stood  in  the  middle  of  the  hut,  and 
that  the  table  was  not  yet  cleared  from 
breakfast.  She  went  in  with  an  air  of  reso- 
lution to  her  work.  It  was  of  no  use. 
The  music  in  the  pines  began,  low  music, 
that  drew  Heidi  like  enchantment.  She 
must  go,  must  dance  with  every  moving 
twig,  and  keep  time  to  the  sweet  sounds. 
Her  grandfather,  too,  left  his  work  in 
the  shed,  drawn  out  to  see  his  little  girl's 
pretty  gambols  under  the  old  trees,  He 
stood  watching  her,  laughing  softly  to 
himself,  and  turned  away,  and  came  again. 
As  he  was  just  entering  the  shed  after  one 


32  HEIDt, 

of  these  diversions,  he  heard  her  call  out 
quickly,  "O  grandfather,  come  back!  come 
back !  " 

He  turned,  almost  fearing  she  had  hurt 
herself,  and  saw  her  darting  towards  the 
slope,  calling  out  excitedly;  "They  are 
coming,  they  have  come  !  and  the  doctor 
is  coming  in  front  of  them  !  " 

Heidi  rushed  towards  her  old  friend, 
who  extended  his  hand  to  greet  her. 
When  she  reached  him  she  clasped  ten- 
derly his  outstretched  arm,  and  looking 
up  at  him  said  from  the  fulness  of  her 
heart,  "  Good-day,  doctor,  and  thank  you 
a  thousand,  thousand  times !  " 

"  God    bless   you,    Heidi,"  was   the   an 
swer ;    "  but    why    do    you    thank    me    in 
advance  ? " 

"  Because  I  am  at  home  again  with  my 
grandfather,"  said  the  little  girl. 


A   GUEST   ON   THE   ALM.  33 

The  countenance  of  the  new-comer 
hghted  up  as  with  a  ray  o(  sunshine. 
This  hearty  greeting  on  the  Aim  he  had 
not  expected.  Sadly,  and  oppressed  with 
his  burden  of  sorrow,  he  had  climbed  the 
mountain,  absorbed  in  his  own  thouohts, 
and  giving  no  heed  to  the  beauty  about 
him,  which  increased  with  every  step.  He 
had  scarcely  expected  a  recognition  from 
the  little  girl  whom  he  had  seen  but  sel- 
dom in  Frankfort,  and  the  knowledge  that 
he  only  came  to  bring  her  disappointment 
made  him  dread  that  he  would  have  no 
welcome.  But  he  was  wclcometl,  and  joy- 
fully too  ;  and  Meidi  held  fast  the  arm  of 
her  good  friend,  full  of  love  and  thanks. 

"  Come  now,  Heidi,  and  lead  me  to 
your  grandfather,  and  show  me  where  you 
live,"  said  he  at  last. 


34  HEIDI. 

Heidi  stood  still,  gazing  in  amazement 
down  the  mountain-side. 

"  But  where  are  Klara  and  her  grand- 
mamma ?  " 

"  Yes,  that  is  what  I  have  to  tell  )ou  ; 
what  will  make  you  sorry,  as  I  am.  \'es, 
Heidi,  1  have  come  alone.  Klara  is  ill 
and  cannot  travel,  and  so  her  grandmamma 
did  not  come  either.  But  in  the  spring, 
when  the  days  begin  to  be  warm  and  long, 
then  they  will  come  certainly." 

Poor  little  Heidi  was  disappointed  in- 
deed. She  could  not  believe  that  the 
happiness  she  had  so  long  looked  forward 
to  was  not  to  be  hers  after  all.  She  stood 
there  motionless,  as  if  confused  at  the  un- 
expectedness of  the  blow.  The  doctor 
also  stood  silently  by  her  side,  and  no 
sound  was    heard    save    the    soughing  of 


A  GUEST  ON  THE   ALM.  35 

the  wind  in  the  trees.  Then  Heidi  sud- 
denly  remembered  why  she  had  run  down 
the  hill,  and  that  the  doctor  was  there. 
She  looked  up  at  him.  Such  a  look  of 
sorrow  lay  in  his  eyes  as  he  returned  her 
glance,  that  she  was  startled.  Surely  it 
had  not  been  so  when  in  Frankfort  the 
doctor  had  looked  upon  her.  Heidi's  ten- 
der heart  was  touched  at  once,  for  she 
could  never  see  any  one  sad  without  suf- 
fering too,  and  the  dear  good  Dr.  Classen 
least  of  all.  He  must  be  feeling  disap- 
pointed because  Klara  and  her  grand- 
mamma could  not  come  with  him.  So 
she  set  herself  at  once  to  find  some  con- 
solation. 

"  Oh,  it  will  not  be  so  very  long  before 
the  spring,"  she  said,  "  and  then  they  will 
certainly  come  !    The  time  will  quickly  pass, 


36  HEIDI. 

and  then  they  can  stay  much  longer,  and 
Klara  will  like  that  better,  I  am  sure.  And 
now  we  will  go  up  to  my  grandfather." 
Hand  in  hand  the  two  good  friends  went 
up  to  the  cottage.  Heidi  was  so  anxious 
to  cheer  the  doctor,  and  took  so  much 
pains  to  assure  him  that  the  time  would 
not  be  long  in  passing,  and  that  the  long, 
warm  summer  days  would  soon  come 
asrain,  that  in  the  end  she  believed  it  her- 
self,  and  was  quite  consoled ;  and  when 
they  reached  her  grandfather  she  called 
out  cheerfully,  "They  are  not  here  now, 
but  it  will  not  be  very  long  before  they 
come." 

Dr.  Classen  was  no  stranger  to  the  Aim 
uncle,  for  Heidi  had  spoken  of  him  very 
often  ;  so  the  old  man  extended  his  hand  to 
his  ouest,  and  o'ave  him  a  hearty  welcome. 


A   GUEST   ON   THE   AL.M.  37 

The  two  men  seated  themselves  on  the 
bench,  and  the  doctor  made  room  for 
Heidi  by  his  side,  and  motioned  her  to  sit 
down.  Then  he  told  them  how  Mr.  Sese- 
mann  had  begged  him  to  undertake  the 
journey,  and  how  he  himself  had  felt  that 
it  would  be  good  for  him,  as  he  was  not 
strong  nor  cheerful  just  now.  Then  he 
whispered  in  Heidi's  ear  that  something 
would  soon  come  up  the  mountain  that 
had  travelled  with  him  from  Frankfort,  and 
that  its  arrival  would  give  her  much  more 
pleasure  than  could  the  old  doctor's. 

The  Aim  uncle  advised  the  doctor  to 
come  up  every  day,  and  stay  as  long  as 
possible  on  the  Aim.  He  could  not  invite 
him  to  pass  the  night  there,  as  the  hut  con- 
tained no  proper  accommodations  for  such 
a  guest ;  but  he  strongly  urged  him  not  to 


38  HEIDI. 

go  all  the  way  back  to  Ragatz,  but  to  try 
the  inn  at  Dorfli,  which  he  would  find 
simple,  but  clean  and  well  kept.  Then  if 
the  doctor  would  walk  up  the  mountain 
every  day,  which  the  Aim  uncle  was  sure 
would  benefit  him,  they  could  make  excur- 
sions in  every  direction,  and  find  much 
that  was  beautiful  and  interesting.  This 
was  readily  agreed  to  by  Dr.  Classen ^  who 
found  the  invitation  in  every  way  agree 
able. 

It  was  now  high  noon.  The  wind  had 
ceased,  and  the  pines  were  silent.  A 
slight,  refreshing  breeze  stirred  about  them 
as  they  sat  on  the  bench,  and  the  sun  was 
not  too  warm.  The  Aim  uncle  brought 
the  table  from  the  hut.  "  Now,  Heidi,"  he 
said,  "bring  out  what  we  need  for  dinner. 
Our  guest  must  be  indulgent ;  but  if  our 


A    GUEST   ON     11  IE    ALM.  39 

fare  is  simple,  our  dining-room,  at  least, 
is  orancl." 

"  Yes,  that  it  certainly  is,"  said  the 
doctor,  as  he  gazed  down  into  the  sunlit 
valley.  "  I  gladly  accept  your  invitation  ; 
such  keen  air  brings  appetite." 

Heidi  ran  back  and  forth  as  nimbly  as 
a  squirrel,  bringing  everything  that  she 
could  lay  her  hands  on  ffom  the  press.  It 
was  a  great  delight  to  her  to  be  able  to 
serve  the  doctor.  Her  grandfather  soon 
appeared  from  the  hut,  with  the  steaming 
jug  of  milk  and  the  toasted  golden 
cheese.  He  cut  thin,  almost  transparent, 
slices  of  the  rosy  meat,  prepared  by  him- 
self, and  dried  in  the  pure  mountain  air. 
Their  guest  ate  and  drank  heartily,  declar- 
ing that  nothing  had  tasted  so  good  as  thii 
for  a  whole  year. 


40  HEIDI. 

"  Yes,  our  Klara  must  come  up  here," 
he  said  enthusiastically.  "  She  would 
gather  new  strength  here  ;  and  should  she 
eat  for  a  while  as  I  have  done  to-day, 
she  would  soon  grow  plump,  and  be 
sounder  than  she  has  ever  been  in  her 
life." 

Some  one  came  toiling,  at  this  moment, 
up  the  mountain,'  with  a  heavy  load  on  his 
shoulder.  As  he  reached  them,  he  threw 
his  burden  on  the  ground,  and  drank  in 
the  fresh  mountain  air  in  deep  draughts. 

"  This  is  the  package  that  was  m)  com- 
panion from  Frankfort,"  said  the  doctor, 
drawino-  Heidi  towards  the  bior  bale,  from 
which  he  quickly  loosened  the  outside 
wrapper.  "  Now,  child,  go  to  work,  and 
discover  the  hidden  treasures  for  yourself." 

Heidi  obeyed,  and  when  everything  was 


A   GUEST   0\   THE    AI.M.  4 1 

spread  about,  stood  staring  at  her  gifts 
with  wondering  eyes.  At  last  the  doctor 
came  to  her  side,  and  removino-  the  cover 
from  the  box,  showed  the  cakes  for  the 
blind  grandmother  to  eat  with  her  coffee. 

Now  Heidi's  joy  found  words.  "  Cakes, 
cakes  for  the  grandmother !  "  she  shouted, 
and  danced  for  joy.  All  her  other  things 
were  quickly  piled  together  to  put  away ; 
she  would  take  the  box  at  once  down  the 
Aim.  Her  grandfather  persuaded  her, 
however,  to  wait  until  towards  evening, 
when  they  w^ould  both  go  down  to  accom- 
pany their  guest  to  Dorfli.  So  the  child 
pursued  her  investigations,  and  soon  found 
the  bag  of  tobacco  for  the  grandfather, 
which  she  quickly  brought  him  ;  and  the 
two  men  sat  smoking  their  pipes,  vvhich 
they  filled   at  once.     After  further  exam- 


42  HEIDI. 

ination  of  her  treasures,  Heidi  came  and 
stood  before  her  two  old  friends,  as  they 
sat  puffing  huge  clouds  of  smoke  into  the 
cool  air ;  and  when  there  was  a  pause  in 
their  conversation,  she  said  decidedly, 
"  No,  there  is  nothing  that  has  given  me 
more  pleasure  than  the  good  old  doctor." 

The  two  laughed  a  little  at  this  an- 
nouncement, which  the  doctor  said  he  had 
not  at  all  expected. 

At  sunset  the  guest  started  to  go  down, 
to  secure  his  night's  lodging  in  Dorfli. 
Taking  Heidi  by  the  hand  he  went  on, 
while  the  Aim  uncle  followed  with  the  box 
of  cakes,  the  shawl,  and  the  big  sausage. 
At  the  goat-Peter's  cottage  Heidi  disap- 
peared, and  the  two  others  went  on  to 
Dorfli.  As  Heidi  entered  the  cottage  she 
turned    to  ask,  "  To-morrow  will   you    go 


A   GUEST   ON   THE   ALM.  43 

with  the  goats  to  the  upland  pasture?"  for 
that  was  the  most  beautiful  place  to  her  in 
the  world. 

"  Indeed  I  will,  Heidi,  if  you  will  go 
too,"  he  said,  and  bade  her  good-evening. 

In  three  trips,  Heidi  carried  her  gifts 
into  the  cottage.  Her  grandfather  had  left 
them  on  the  doorstep  when  he  went  on. 
The  box  of  cakes  was  almost  too  heavy 
for  the  little  hands,  while  the  big  woollen 
shawl  and  the  huge  sausage  took  each  a 
separate  effort.  She  carried  them  in  quite 
to  the  oTfand mother's  side,  so  that  she 
could  feel  them  at  once ;  and  the  shawl 
she  placed  on  her  knees. 

"  From  Frankfort  they  all  come,  sent  by 
Klara  and  her  grandmamma,"  she  ex- 
plained    to    the    wondering    women  ;     for 

r 

Brigitte  was   there,  but   so   taken   by  sur- 


44  HEIDI. 

prise  that  she  never  thought  of  stirring  to 
help  the  child,  but  let  her  cany  all  the 
heavy  things  unaided. 

"  But  say,  grandmother,  do  not  the 
cakes  make  you  ever  so  glad  ?  See  how 
soft  they  are  !  "  cried  Heidi  over  and  over 
again.  And  the  old  woman  each  time  re- 
plied, "What  good  people,  Heidi!  how 
kind  they  are !  "  and  she  felt  constantly  of 
the  soft  shawl,  saying,  "This  is  just  splen- 
did for  the  cold  winter.  I  never  could 
have  believed  that  such  a  thing  would 
come  for  me  in  this  world  !  " 

Heidi  did  not  quite  understand  why  the 
shawl  gave  more  pleasure  to  her  old  friend 
than  the  cakes.  Before  the  sausage  stood 
Brigitte.  That  lay  on  the  kitchen  table, 
and  Peter's  mother  reo-arded  it  with  some- 
thing  approaching  to  awe.     Such  a  giant 


A   GUEST   ON   THE   ALM.  45 

sausage  she  had  never  seen  in  her  Hfe  ; 
and  it  really  belonged  to  them,  and  they 
wee  to  eat  it !  It  seemed  simply  incredi- 
ble to  her ;  and  she  stood  shaking  her 
head  and  saying  timidly,  "We  shall  have 
to  ask  the  uncle  first,  what  it  means." 

But  Heidi  stoutly  asserted  that  it  was 
meant  for  them  to  eat,  and  for  nothing 
else. 

Peter  now  came  stumbling  in.  "The 
Aim  uncle  is  behind  me  ;  Heidi  is  to  — " 
He  could  say  no  more  ;  his  eyes  fell  on 
the  sausage,  and  he  stood  spellbound. 

But  Heidi  knew  the  end  of  the  sentence, 
and  gave  her  hand  in  parting  to  th^? 
grandmother  at  once.  Generally  now  the 
Aim  uncle  came  into  the  cottage  when 
passing,  to  say  a  cheering  word  to  its^, 
inmates,    and    the    blind    woman    alwa)-s 


46  HEIDI. 

rejoiced  'A^hen  she  heard  his  step.  But 
to-day  it  was  late,  and  Heidi  had  risen 
as  usual  with  the  sun.  So  her  grand- 
father said,  "  The  child  must  go  to  her 
sleep,"  and  that  was  enough.  He  called 
through  the  open  door  a  good-night,  took 
the  forthcoming  Heidi  by  the  hand,  and 
together  they  climbed  the  mountain  under 
the  sparkling,  starry  heavens. 


A  RECOMPENSE.  47 


CHAPTER    III. 

A   RECOMPENSE. 

Peter  came  up  with  his  goats  the  next 
morning,  as  usual,  and  with  him  the  doc- 
tor. This  good  gentleman  had  done  his 
best  to  enofaofe  the  gfoatherd  in  conversa- 
tion,  but  had  scarcely  been  able  to  extract 
an  intelligible  monosyllable  in  answer  to 
his  questions.  Peter  was  not  easily  en- 
trapped into  communicativeness.  So  the 
silent  company  clambered  up  the  steep 
hillside  to  the  Aim  hut,  where  Heidi  stood 
awaitlnof  them  with  her  oroats,  all  three 
as  bright  and  happy  as  the  early  sunbeams. 

"Are  you  coming  with  us?"  said  Peter, 


dS  HEIDI. 

who  repeated  this  question  ever}'  morn- 
ing, either  in  the  form  of  an  invitation  or 
a  challenge. 

"  Of  course  I  am,  if  the  doctor  is  go- 
ing," answered  Heidi. 

Peter  eyed  the  person  named  a  little 
askance. 

After  the  Aim  uncle  had  greeted  his 
guest  with  affectionate  warmth,  he  hung 
the  lunch-baor  over  Peter's  shoulders.  The 
lad  found  it  heavier  than  usual,  by  the 
addition  of  a  large  piece  of  the  delicate 
dried  meat.  Should  the  good  doctor  be 
pleased  with  the  pasture,  he  might  like  to 
stay  to  eat  luncheon  with  the  children. 
Peter  stood  grmning  from  ear  to  ear,  for 
he  suspected  some  unusual  luxury. 

They  began  the  ascent.  The  goats  sur- 
rounded Heidi,  each  one  wishing  the  place 


A   RECOMPENSE.  49 

beside  her.  and  each  piishuig  and  crowd- 
ing a  Httle  his  neighbor.  So  for  a  while 
she  was  carried  along  with  them,  and  did 
not  resist.  At  last  she  stood  still,  saying, 
in  a  warning  voice  :  "  Now  you  must  all 
run  on  properly,  and  not  keep  coming 
back  to  push  and  crowd  me  ;  I  must  walk 
a  little  with  the  doctor."  Then  tapping 
Snowball,  who  was  always  nearest  her, 
gently  on  the  shoulder,  bidding  her  be 
especially  good  to-day,  she  worked  her 
way  out  of  the  flock,  and  ran  back  to 
her  friend,  taking  his  hand,  and  holding 
it  tightly  in  hers.  There  was  not  much 
trouble  in  finding  subjects  of  conversation 
with  this  little  companion,  who  began  at 
once  about  the  goats  and  their  droll  freaks, 
about  the  flowers  and  the  rocks,  the  birds 
and  the  snow-field,  so  that  the  time  flew 


50  HEIDI. 

by,  and  they  were  at  the  summit  without 
knowing  it.  Meanwhile  Peter  had  cast 
many  a  threatening  glance  sidewise  at  the 
doctor,  which  might  have  caused  that  gen- 
tleman some  uneasiness,  but  which  fortu- 
nately he  did  not  notice. 

As  soon  as  they  reached  their  usual 
resting-place,  Heidi  took  the  doctor  to  her 
favorite  seat,  where  the  view  was  finest. 
Seating  themselves  on  the  sunny  grass 
they  looked  about  them.  The  heights 
above  and  the  green  valley  were  swim- 
ming in  the  golden  autumn  sunshine. 
From  some  lower  Alp  the  faint  tinkling 
cow-bells  came  sweetly  and  softly  like  a 
song  of  peace,  and  all  the  air  was  filled 
with  pleasant  sounds.  On  the  great  snow- 
field  above  grolden  sunbeams  olowed  and 
shimmered  here  and  there,  while  gray  old 


A   RECOMPENSE.  5  I 

Falkniss  raised  his  rocky  towers  in  majes 
tic    silence,    standing-    strongly    contrasted 
ae^inst  the  blue  of  heaven.     The   morn 
ing  wind  blew  softly  and  caressingly,  ten- 
deny  stirring  the  last  blue  harebells,  which 
had  outlived  their  companions  of  the  great 
army  of  summer    flowers,  and   now  stood 
languidly  waving  their  drooping  heads   in 
the  warm   sunlight.     Overhead    the  great 
eagle  circled   in  graceful,  sweeping  flight 
To-day  he  did   not  scream,  but  with  wide- 
spread wrings   floated   silently  through   the 
air,  in  ecstasy  of  motion. 

Heidi  looked  everywhere,  at  everything, 
all  was  so  full  of  beauty.  With  sparkling 
eyes  she  glanced  at  her  old  friend,  to  be 
sure  that  he,  too,  saw  as  she  did.  As  his 
eyes  encountered  Heidi's,  dancing  wi^ 
joy  and   happiness,  he   said :    "  Yes,  dear 


52  HEIDI. 

child,  it  may  be  all  lovely ;  but  how  can 
one  who  carries  a  sad  heart  in  his  bosom 
feel  the  charm  properh^  or  rejoice  ?  " 

"  Oh,"  cried  the  child,  with  untouched 
gladness,  "  no  one  here  carries  a  sad  heart 
in  his  bosom  ;  only  in  Frankfort  are  there 
such  !  " 

The  doctor  smiled  a  little,  but  fleetingly. 
Then  he  said  :  "If  some  one  came  from 
Frankfort  bringing  all  his  sadness  with 
him,  what  could  be  done  to  help  him 
here  ?     Do  you  know,  Heidi  ?  " 

"If  such  a  one  does  not  know  how  to 
help  himself,  then  he  must  tell  all  to  the 
good   God,"  said  she  confidently. 

"That  is  a  good  thought,  my  child; 
but  if  he  knows  that  his  sorrow  comes 
from  God,  what  then  can  help  him  in  his 
misery  ?  " 


A   RECOMPENSE.  53 

Heidi  had  to  think  for  a  time  about 
this  new  prol>lem,  though  she  was  perfectly 
convinced  that  God  could  provide  a  balm 
for  all  sorrow.  She  sought  for  an  answer 
from  her  own  experience. 

"  One  must  wait,"  she  said  after  a 
while,  "  and  must  always  think  that  soon 
the  good  God  will  bring  something  to 
make  one  happier ;  that  something  will 
come  out  of  the  trouble ;  but  one  must 
keep  perfectly  quiet,  and  not  run  away. 
After  a  while  it  will  be  quite  plain  how 
God  had  all  the  time  something  good  in 
his  thoughts,  though  we  did  not  know  it." 

"  Always  keep  that  beautiful  belief, 
Heidi,"  said  the  doctor.  For  a  while  he 
sat  silent,  gazing  now  at  the  rocky  pin- 
nacles, now  into  the  gleaming  valley  ;  then 
he  said  again  :  "  Can  you  understand,  my 


54  HEIDI. 

child,  how  it  would  be  possible  for  one  to 
sit  here  and  know  of  all  this  beauty,  and 
be  doubly  sad  because  of  it,  and  of  the 
great  shadow  that  clouded  his  own  eyes  ? 
Can  you  understand  that,  Heidi  ? " 

A  sharp  pang-  shot  through  Heidi's 
breast  at  these  words.  The  great  shadow 
of  which  her  friend  spoke  brought  the 
blind  grandmother  forcibly  to  her  mind, 
she  who  never  more  could  see  the  bright 
sun,  nor  all  the  beauty  of  the  world  about 
her.  This  was  a  grief  that  sprang  ever 
anew  in  the  child's  loving  heart,  as  often 
as  it  came  freshly  to  her  memor)'.  She 
had  no  answer  at  first,  distress  had  so 
seized  her  in  the  midst  of  all  her  joy. 
Then  she  said  earnestly  :  "  Yes,  I  can 
understand  that,  but  I  know  of  something. 
One  must  recite  the  grandmolher  s  hymns ; 


A  RECOMPENSE.  55 

they  make  one  feel  a  little  better  at  first, 
and  at  last  so  bright  that  everything  is 
cheerful  ao^ain." 

"What  hymns,   Heidi?" 

"  I  only  know  that  about  the  sun,  and 
the  beautiful  garden,  and  those  verses 
from  the  other  long  one  that  the  grand- 
mother likes  best,  and  that  I  have  to 
repeat  to  her  over  and  over." 

"  Say  them  for  me,  Heidi ;  I,  too,  must 
hear  them,"  said  the  doctor,  and  sat  up  to 
listen. 

The  little  girl  folded  her  hands  in  her 
lap,  and  thought  for  a  little ;  then  she 
said,  "  Shall  I  begin  at  the  place  where 
the  grandmother  sa)"s  that  a  happy,  trust- 
ful feeling  always  comes  into  her  heart?" 

The  doctor  nodded  assent,  and  Heidi 
began  :  -=- 


56  HEIDI. 

*'  Trust  fully  to  his  choicCj 

He  is  a  Ruler  wise  ; 
Follow  his  guiding  voice, 

Nor  falter  in  surprise, 
When  in  his  mighty  power. 

As  is  his  way  and  right. 
In  unexpected  hour 

He  makes  your  burden  light. 

Oft  for  a  little  space 

He  tarries  with  his  aid. 
And  seems  to  hide  his  face, 

Making  your  heart  afraid  ; 
Deeming  yourself  neglected, 

Oft  trembling  through  and  through, 
You  think,  all   unprotected. 

That  he's  forgotten  you. 

Then  firmly  stand,  to  prove 
That  you  are   true  and   fast ; 

He'll  raise  you  in  his  love. 
He'll  help  you  at  the  last. 


A   RECOMPENSE.  57 

He  will  your  heart  beguile 

Of  its  so  cruel  wrong ; 
Your  sorrow  of  erewhile 

Shall  become  joy  and  song.'' 

Suddenly  Heidi  stopped,  she  was  no 
longer  sure  that  the  doctor  was  listening. 
He  had  covered  his  face  with  his  hand, 
and  sat  motionless,  so  that  the  child 
thought  he  had  fallen  asleep.  For  some 
time  he  remained  thus,  but  he  was  not 
asleep.  He  had  been  carried  back  to  the 
distant  past ;  he  stood  a  young  boy  again, 
at  his  dear  mother's  knee.  She  had  put 
her  arm  about  his  neck,  and  was  repeating 
the  hymn  which  Heidi  had  just  been  say- 
ing, and  which  he  had  not  heard  before  for 
long  years.  It  was  his  mother's  voice  that 
sounded  in  his  ears,  and  her  kind  eyes 
looked    lovingly   into   his  ;    he   must    have 


58  HEIDI. 

listened  to  her  gladly,  and  followed  her  far 
in  his  thouofhts,  for  he  sat  for  a  lone  time 
silent  and  motionless,  his  face  hidden  in 
his  hand.  When  at  last  he  came  to  him- 
self, he  saw  the  child's  wondering  gaze 
fixed  on  him;  and  taking  her  hand  he  said, 
while  there  was  a  more  cheerful  rine  in 
his  voice  than  it  had  yet  had :  "  Heidi, 
your  song  is  beautiful.  We  will  come  up 
here  again,  and  you  shall  repeat  it  for  me." 
During  all  this  time  the  goatherd  had 
been  fully  occupied  in  giving  vent  to  his 
vexation.  It  was  so  long  since  Heidi  had 
been  to  the  pasture  with  him,  and  to  see 
her  now,  sittino-  there  with  that  old  orentle- 
man,  and  with  never  a  word  for  him,  was 
more  than  Peter  could  endure.  It  made 
him  very  angry.  Placing"  himself  in  a  hol- 
low behind  the  unsuspicious  doctor,  where 


A   RECOMPENSE.  59 

there  was  no  danofer  of  beinor  seen,  he 
doubled  up  first  one  fist  and  swung  it 
in  the  air,  and  then  two  fists,  and  repeated 
the  pantomime  ;  and  the  longer  they  sat 
there,  the  more  vigorous  and  frightful  be- 
came his  action,  and  the  higher  he  swung 
his  fists  in  the  air  behind  their  backs. 

But  the  sun  had  now  reached  the  place 
in  the  heavens  that  indicated  the  time  for 
their  midday  meal.  Perceiving  this,  the 
lad  shouted  suddenly  as  loud  as  he  could, 
"  It's  time  to  eat !  " 

Heidi  rose  at  once,  and  wished  to  bring 
the  bag  to  the  place  where  they  were  sit- 
ting, so  that  her  friend  might  eat  without 
disturbing  himself ;  but  he  declared  that 
he  was  not  hungry,  and  would  only  drink 
a  glass  of  milk,  and  then  climb  higher  up 
the    mountain.       Then    Jieidi    discovered 


60  HEIDI. 

that  she,  too,  was  not  hungry,  and  would 
only  drink  some  milk,  and  furthermore 
would  brino"  the  doctor  to  the  gfreat  moss- 
grown  stone  where  Thistlebird  had  almost 
fallen  over  once,  and  where  the  sweet- 
est and  most  nourishing  herbs  grew.  So 
she  ran  over  to  Peter  to  explain  to  him 
that  he  was  to  get  a  glass  of  milk  for  the 
doctor  first,  and  then  one  for  her,  from 
Schwanli.  The  lad  gazed  at  Heidi  in 
astonishment  for  a  moment,  and  then  said, 
"  Who  will  have  what  is  in  the  basket  ?  " 

"You  may  have  it,"  she  said,  "but  first 
fetch  the  milk,  and  quickly." 

Never  yet  had  Peter  accomplished  any 
action  so  promptly  as  he  did  this.  The 
contents  of  the  satchel  seemed  always  be- 
fore his  eyes,  and  he  longed  to  get  at  it. 
As  soon  as  his  companions  had  begun  to 


A  RECOMPENSE.  6 1 

drink  their  milk,  he  opened  the  lunch-bag 
and  peeped  in ;  when  he  saw  the  wonderful 
piece  of  meat  he  trembled  for  joy,  and 
peeped  again  to  make  quite  sure.  Slowly 
he  put  his  hand  into  the  bag,  then  quickly 
withdrew  it,  as  if  really  afraid  to  take  what 
was  there.  It  had  suddenly  come  into 
Peter's  head  how  he  had  been  standing 
behind  the  gentleman  who  had  given  him 
all  this  superb  feast,  and  had  threatened 
him  with  his  fists  ;  and  sorrow  for  this  con- 
duct prevented  him  from  eating  his  dinner 
with  satisfaction.  After  a  moment  or  two 
he  sprang  up,  and  running  to  the  hollow, 
again  stretched  out  his  hands  in  the  air, 
and  made  signs  of  smoothing  out  all  the 
motions  he  had  before  made  of  hatred  and 
anger.  He  continued  this  strange  action 
until  he  felt  satisfied  that  he  had  obliter- 


62  HEIDI. 

ated  all  indications  of  unkindness,  and 
could  return  to  eat  his  longed-for  dinner 
with  a  good  conscience. 

Heidi  and  her  companion  went  wander- 
ing meanwhile  over  the  pasture,  and  enjoy- 
ing themselves  exceedingly.  But  at  last 
the  doctor  found  that  it  was  time  for  him 
to  return,  while  it  occurred  to  him  that  the 
little  girl  might  well  like  to  play  about 
awhile  with  the  goats,  Heidi  had  ug 
thought  of  such  a  thing.  Could  she  lei 
the  doctor  go  all  the  way  down  the  Alp 
alone  ?  She  had  still  a  great  deal  to  tell 
him  of,  to  point  out  the  spots  where  in 
summer  there  were  myriads  of  lovely 
flowers.  She  must  tell  him  all  theii 
names,  for  her  grandfather  had  taught 
them  all  to  her.  A.t  last,  however,  the 
doctor  took  leav^  of  his  little  com.paniori, 


A   RECOMPENSE.  63 

sending  her  back  while  he  himself  went 
down  the  mountain.  Rut  as  he  turned 
back  now  and  then,  he  saw  the  child, 
still  standing  where  he  liad  left  her,  and 
waving  her  hand,  just  as  his  own  little 
daughter  had  stood  watching  him  every 
day  when  he  left  the  house. 

The  whole  month  was  a  series  of  beauti- 
ful, clear,  sunny  days.  Each  morning  the 
doctor  climbed  up  the  Aim,  and  went  off 
lor  a  ramble.  Generally  he  went  with  the 
uncle  high  up  amongst  the  rocks,  where 
the  old  weather-beaten  pines  stood  that 
overtopped  the  crags,  and  where  the  great 
birds  of  prey  nested,  which  startled  would 
fly  screaming  over  their  heads.  In  the 
companionship  of  the  Aim  uncle  the 
doctor  found  the  greatest  pleasure,  and 
was  more  and  more  surprised  at  his  con- 


64  HEIDI. 

versation,  and  at  the  knowledge  he  showed 
of  all  the  mountain  herbs,  their  healing- 
qualities,  and  where  they  grew,  as  well  as 
of  the  curly  mosses,  that  nestled  amongst 
the  gnarled  roots  of  the  old  pine-trees, 
and  the  almost  invisible  flowers,  hidden  in 
the  Alpine  soil.  His  knowledge  was  great, 
too,  of  the  habits  of  the  animals  there- 
about; and  he  told  many  a  humorous  stor)' 
of  the  tricks  and  gambols  of  these  dwell- 
ers in  caves  and  rocks,  and  of  the  inhab- 
itants of  the  high  treetops.  The  time 
passed  so  quickly,  that  day  after  day  the 
evening  surprised  them  before  they  were 
aware  of  its  approach  ;  and  the  doctor  con- 
stantly said,  in  taking  leave  at  sundown, 
"  I  never  pass  the  day  in  your  company, 
without  learning  something  new  and  vaJ- 
"jable." 


A   RECOMPENSE.  65 

But  on  many  days,  and  those  the  finest, 
the  doctor  chose  to  go  with  his  httle  friend. 
They  sat  together  on  the  lovely  spur  of 
the  Alp  where  they  had  sat  that  first  morn- 
ing, and  the  child  repeated  her  hymns  and 
sono;s,  and  told  her  old  friend  all  her  bits 
of  knowledge,  and  all  her  thoughts.  Peter 
sat  behind  them  in  his  old  place  in  the 
hollow  ;  he  did  not,  however,  double  his 
fists,  he  was  quite  tame. 

And  so  the  lovely  month  of  September 
drew  to  an  end.  One  morning  the  doctor 
came  up  with  a  clouded  countenance.  He 
must  go  back  to  Frankfort,  he  said,  and 
the  thought  made  him  sad  ;  for  he  loved 
the  Aim  and  its  friendly  faces,  and  was 
sorr^'  to  leave  them.  The  Aim  uncle  was 
sorry,  too,  for  he  had  become  much  Inter- 
ested    in    the   good    doctor  ;    and    as    for 


66  HEIDI. 

Heidi,  she  did  not  know  how  to  think 
of  being  deprived  of  the  companionship 
of  her  dear  old  friend,  and  looked  at  him 
long  and  beseechingly, 

"  Come  down  the  mountain  a  little  way 
with  me,  Heidi,"  said  the  doctor,  when  he 
had  bade  adieu  to  the  uncle  ;  and  Heidi 
put  her  hand  in  that  of  her  friend,  and 
they  went ;  but  the  child  could  not 
grasp  the  idea  that  he  was  really  leav- 
ing them. 

"  Now  you  must  go  back  to  your  grand- 
father, my  child,"  and  the  doctor  passed 
his  hand  several  times  tenderly  over  her 
curly  hair,  "  and  I  must  go.  O  Heidi ! 
how  I  wish  I  could  take  you  back  with  me, 
and  keep  you  always  !  " 

At  these  words  all  Frankfort  rose  before 
the  child's   eyes,   the    many,  many  houses, 


A  RECOMPENSE.  67 

the  Stone  streets,  Miss  Rottenmeier  and 
Tinette ;  and  she  said,  rather  doubtfully, 
"  I  should  like  far  better  to  have  you  come 
to  us." 

*'  Yes,  that  certainly  would  be  better. 
So  farewell,  Heidi,"  and  the  doctor  held 
out  his  hand  kindly  to  her.  Looking  into 
his  face  Heidi  saw  that  his  eyes  were  full 
of  tears,  but  he  said  nodiing  more,  and 
turned  away  quickly  to  go  down  the 
mountain. 

Heidi  stood  still.  Those  loving  eyes, 
and  the  tears  therein,  touched  her  tender 
heart.  Suddenly  she  burst  forth  weep- 
ing, and  ran  after  her  departing  friend, 
calling  with  all  her  might,  "  Doctor,  doc- 
tor ! " 

The  doctor  turned,  just  as  Heidi  reached 
his  side.     Tears  were  streaming  down  her 


68  HEIDI. 

cheeks,  and  she  sobbed  out :  "I  will  go 
with  you  to  Frankfort,  and  stay  as  long  as 
you  want  me  ;  but  first  let  me  go  to  tell 
my  grandfather." 

The  doctor  soothed  gently  the  excited 
child.  "  No,  my  dear  Heidi,"  he  said  ten- 
derly, "  not  just  now  ;  you  must  stay  a 
while  longer  under  the  pines,  or  you  would 
soon  be  ill  aoain.  But  come,  I  will  make 
a  request  of  you  ;  if  I  am  ever  sick  and 
alone,  will  you  come  to  me  then,  and  stay 
with  me  ?  May  I  feel  sure  that  I  shall 
have  some  one  who  will  care  for  me,  and 
love  me.?" 

"  Yes,  I  will  surely  come,  on  the  very 
day ;  for  I  love  you  almost  as  much  as 
I  do  my  grandfather,"  said  the  still  sob- 
bing child. 

Pressing    her    hand    fondly,    the    doctor 


A    RECOMPENSE.  69 

turned  away,  while  Heidi  stood  and  waved 
him  farewell  as  long  as  she  could  see  him. 
At  the  last  turn  of  the  road  he  murmured, 
"It  is  good  for  body  and  soul  up  there, 
and  makes  life  seem  worth  living." 


Jo  HEIDL 


CHAPTER    IV. 

WINTER    IN    DORFLI. 

The  snow  lay  piled  up  about  the  Aim 
hut,  so  that  It  looked  as  if  the  windows 
touched  the  ground  ;  below  them  noth- 
ing of  the  building  was  visible,  and  the 
house  door  had  quite  disappeared.  If 
the  Aim  uncle  had  been  living  there,  he 
would  have  had  to  do  as  Peter  did.  for  it 
snowed  hard  almost  every  night.  Peter 
jumped  out  of  the  bedroom  window  into 
the  snow,  where  he  was  obliged  to  fight 
his  way  along  through  the  drifts  with 
might  and  main,  using  his  hands  and 
feet,    and    often    his    head.      His    mother 


WINTER    IN   DORFLI.  J I 

handed  him  the  broom  from  the  window, 
and  he  brushed  and  slioved  with  that 
until  he  reached  the  house  door,  which  he 
had  to  clear  from  the  heavy  snow  piled  up 
against  it,  which  would  fall  in  and  half 
fill  the  kitchen  should  any  one  try  to  enter 
Moreover,  if  the  snow  were  allowed  to 
freeze  hard,  then  no  one  could  get  in  or 
out,  and  the  inmates  would  be  imprisoned. 
When  once  it  froze  hard,  however,  Peter 
had  an  easy  and  pleasant  time  of  it.  If 
he  had  to  go  down  to  Dorfli,  he  crept  out 
of  the  window  and  let  himself  down  on 
to  the  crust,  his  mother  crave  him  his  little 
sledge  through  the  same  opening,  and 
seatinof  himself  on  it  he  went  off  when 
and  where  he  chose,  for  all  ways  led 
downward.  The  entire  Aim  was  an  un- 
broken coast. 


72  HEIDI. 

But  the  uncle  was  not  on  the  Aim  this 
winter,    he    had    kept    his    promise.      As 
soon   as   the   first   snow  began   to  fall,   he 
closed    the   hut  and    the    stalls,   and  went 
with   Heidi  and   the  goats  down   to  Dorfli. 
Near  the  church  and  the  parsonage  stood 
an  old.  ruined  building,  which  plainly  had 
once  been  a  spacious  mansion.     Many  of 
the   rooms  were   in  pretty  good  condition 
still,  though  some  of  the  walls  had  fallen 
wholly,  some  in  part.     The  former  owner 
was  a  brave  soldier,  who  had  served  in  the 
Spanish  wars,  had  performed  many  deeds 
of  valor,   and    accumulated    great   wealth. 
He    came    back    to    his    native  villao-e    of 
Dorfli,  built  this  big,  handsome  house,  and 
tried    to  live   there;    but   the    attempt  did 
not  last  long.     Little  Dorfli  was  too  peace- 
ful and  dull,  after  the  stirring  life  he  had 


WINTER   IN    DORFLI.  73 

led  in  the  great  world.  He  went  away, 
and  never  returned.  Many  years  after, 
when  it  was  quite  certain  tliat  lie  was  dead, 
a  distant  relation  took  possession  of  the 
house,  but  not  before  it  had  fallen  too 
completely  into  ruin  to  be  worth  repairing. 
Only  quite  poor  families,  therefore,  lived 
in  it,  who  paid  little  for  the  privilege, 
and  when  a  wall  fell  in  or  out,  here  or 
there,  left  it  as  it  had  fallen. 

But  this  was  many  )'ears  ago.  When 
the  Aim  uncle  came  first  to  Dorfli,  he  had 
occupied  the  decayed  old  house  with  his 
son  Tobias.  Since  that  time  it  had  stood 
empty ;  for  unless  one  knew  how  to  prop 
up  the  falling  walls,  and  mend  the  win- 
dows, and  stop  the  holes  and  rents  as  they 
occurred,  it  was  not  really  habitable,  es- 
pecially as  in  Dorfli  the  winter  was  long 


74  HEIDI. 

and  cold,  the  wind  blew  howling  through 
the  rooms  from  every  side,  the  lights  were 
extinguished,  and  the  dwellers  in  the  old 
house  shivered  and  shook  with  cold  and 
discomfort.  No  danger  of  that  for  the 
uncle,  however ;  he  knew  how  to  make 
himself  comfortable.  He  took  the  old 
house  again  as  soon  as  he  had  decided  to 
go  down  to  the  village,  and  through  the 
autumn  months  went  constantly  to  put  it 
in  order,  and  make  it  weather-proof.  In 
the  middle  of  October  he  moved  down 
there  with  Heidi. 

If  one  approached  the  house  from  the 
rear,  he  entered  an  open  space,  where  the 
wall  had  fallen  in  on  one  side  utterly,  while 
half  of  the  other  was  left  standing.  A. 
bow-window,  whose  glass  had  long  since 
disappeared,  was  still  to  be  seen,  mantlt   1 


WINTER   IN   DORFLI.  75 

with  thick  ivy  to  the  roof,  whose  fine 
arches  showed  that  here  had  been  a 
chapel.  Between  this  and  the  great  hall 
adjoining,  the  door  was  quite  broken  away  ; 
but  remains  of  a  handsome  stone  pave- 
ment were  visible,  between  which  the 
grass  grew  high  and  rank.  Here,  too,  the 
walls  had  fallen  in  part,  as  well  as  a  portion 
of  the  roof,  the  remainder  of  which,  save 
for  a  few  thick  columns,  seemed  about  to 
fall  upon  the  head  of  whoever  might  be 
beneath  it.  Here  the  uncle  had  made  a 
partition  of  boards,  and  covered  the  floor 
with  straw,  for  a  lodging  for  his  goats. 
Then  there  were  numerous  passages, 
where  sometimes  the  sky  above  was  visi- 
ble, and  sometimes  the  green  fields  with- 
out, and  the  road.  Beyond  all  thi^s,  there 
was   a   room    with    a    strong   oaken     door 


76  HEIDI. 

hanging  firmly  on  its  hinges,  a  fine  large 
room,  in  good  condition,  its  dark  panel- 
lings of  oak  quite  unbroken.  In  a  corner 
stood  a  huge  stove,  reaching  almost  to  the 
ceiling,  on  whose  white  tiles  blue  pictures 
were  painted.  There  were  old  towers,  sur- 
rounded by  high  trees,  under  which  stood 
a  hunter  with  his  dogs  ;  and  there  was  a 
quiet  lake  under  wide-shadowing  oaks, 
where  a  fisherman  stretched  his  rod  far 
over  the  water.  Round  the  whole  stove 
there  was  a  seat  built,  so  that  one  could 
sit  at  ease  to  examine  the  pictures.  This 
pleased  Heidi  exceedingly.  As  soon  as 
she  entered  this  room  with  her  grandfather, 
she  ran  toward  the  stove,  and  seated  her- 
self to  study  the  pictures.  As  she  slid 
along  the  bench,  she  at  last  came  quite 
behind    the    stove,  and   a   new  object   of 


WINTER   IN    DORFLT.  77 

interest  met  her  eyes.  Between  the  stove 
and  the  wall  was  a  quite  wide  space,  and 
there  was  a  rack  that  looked  as  if  meant 
for  drying  apples.  No  apples  were  there, 
however,  but  Heidi's  bed,  exactly  as  it  was 
on  the  Aim,  a  high  pile  of  hay,  with  the 
sheet  w^ell  tucked  in  all  round,  and  the 
sack  for  coverlid,  fieidi  shouted  aloud  : 
"  O  grandfather,  this  must  be  my  bed- 
room !  How  beautiful !  But  where  is 
yours  ?     Where  wall  you   sleep  ?  " 

"  Your  bed  must  be  near  the  stove, 
where  you  will  not  feel  the  cold.  You 
may  come  to  see  mine." 

The  child  danced  through  the  long 
room  behind  her  grandfather,  who  opened 
a  door  at  the  other  end,  and  showed  a 
small  room  where  his  bed  was  placed. 
Another   door   led    out    from    this    room. 


78  HEIDI. 

opening  which  curiously,  Heidi  stood  still 
in  surprise.  Before  her  was  a  large  kitch- 
en, so  large  that  she  did  not  know  what  to 
think  of  it.  The  grandfather  had  had  a 
deal  of  work  to  make  this  room  habitable, 
and  there  still  remained  much  to  be  done  ; 
there  were  holes  and  big  cracks  on  ever}' 
liide,  where  the  wind  came  in  ;  and  yet  so 
many  had  been  already  stopped  with 
boards  and  planks,  that  the  room  looked 
as  if  little  cupboards  had  been  fastened  to 
the  walls  everywhere.  The  big  old  door 
had  been  made  fast  with  nails  and  wires, 
and  could  now  be  shut  securely,  which  was 
a  good  thing ;  for  beyond  were  only  fallen 
walls,  between  which  grew  thick  shrubs 
and  brush,  where  armies  of  lizards  and 
insects  of  all  sorts  harbored. 

Heidi    was    delighted    with    their    new 


WINTER   IN   DORFLI.  79 

dwelling ;  and  when  Peter  came  to  see  her 
the  next  day,  to  inquire  how  they  were 
getting  on,  she  had  searched  and  peeped 
into  all  the  corners  and  out-of-the-way 
places  so  thoroughly  that  she  was  perfectly 
at  home,  and  could  show  him  all  about  the 
premises. 

The  child  slept  famously  in  her  corner 
behind  the  stove  ;  but  every  morning,  on 
awakening,  she  thought  herself  on  the 
Aim,  and  that  she  must  rush  to  the  hut 
door,  to  see  if  the  pines  were  not  singing, 
while  the  deep  snow  was  piled  thereon, 
and  weighed  down  the  branches.  And 
she  had  to  look  about  her  for  a  longf  time 
to  find  out  where  she  was,  and  had  always 
a  choking  and  stifled  feeling  when  she 
realized  that  she  was  not  at  her  hdme  on 
the  Alp.     But  when  she   presently  heard 


8o  HEIDI. 

her  grandfather's  voice  talking  to  the 
goats,  and  heard  them  bleating  heartily  as 
if  they  said,  "  Come  out,  Heidi,  make 
haste  and  coine  out,"  then  she  knew  where 
she  was,  and  sprang  up  and  dressed  as 
quickly  as  possible,  to  run  into  the  spa- 
cious court  where  the  stalls  were.  On  the 
fourth  day,  however,  she  announced  that 
she  must  o-q  to  see  the  (grandmother,  who 
ought  not  to  be  left  alone  so  long. 

To  this  her  grandfather  did  not  agree. 
'*  Neither  to-day  nor  to-morrow,"  said  he. 
"  The  Aim  lies  deep  in  snow,  and  it  is  still 
snowing  there.  If  sturdy  Peter  can 
scarcely  work  his  way  through,  a  little 
one,  like  my  Heidi,  would  be  snowed  up 
on  the  spot,  quite  hidden,  and  never  more 
to  be  found.  W^ait  awhile  till  it  freezes, 
then  you  can  walk  up  on  the  crust." 


WINTER   IN   DORFLI.  61 

It  troubled  Heidi  a  good  deal,  that  she 
could  not  go  at  once.  Yet  the  days  were 
so  filled  with  all  sorts  of  work  now,  that 
unawares  one  was  gone  and  another  came. 
Every  morning  and  every  afternoon  she 
went  to  school,  and  learned  eagerly  all  that 
was  to  be  learned  there.  Peter  she 
scarcely  saw  in  the  school,  however,  for  he 
was  rarely  there.  The  teacher,  a  mild  sort 
of  man,  only  said  now  and  then :  "It 
seems  to  me  that  Peter  is  missing  again 
to-day.  He  can't  afford  to  lose  his  school- 
ing ;  but  there  is  a  good  deal  of  snow  up 
his  way,  and  he  probably  cannot  get 
through."  Towards  evening,  when  school 
was  over,  Peter  came  through  w^ell  enough, 
and  paid  his  visit  to  Heidi  very  regularly. 

After  a  few  days,  the  sun  shone  again, 
and  cast  his  beams  over  the  fields  of  snow ; 


52  HEIDI. 

sinking  soon  behind  the  mountain,  how- 
ever, a>  if  it  did  not  dehght  him  to  see  the 
«^arth  without  its  grass  and  leaves  and 
lowers.  The  moon,  however,  rose  large 
and  clear,  and  shone  the  whole  night 
through,  and  in  the  morning  the  whole 
Alp,  from  top  to  bottom,  sparkled  and 
glistened  like  crystal.  When  Peter  opened 
his  window  that  same  morning,  to  get  into 
the  snow  as  usual,  it  did  not  feel  at  all 
as  he  expected.  Instead  of  sinking  in 
and  flounderinor  about,  as  he  had  done 
before,  plump  he  came  on  to  the  hard 
crust.  Away  he  flew,  like  a  sled  without 
a  master,  and  only  after  much  effort  re- 
gained his  feet,  and  began  stamping  vio- 
lently to  assure  himself  that  the  crust  was 
really  strong.  He  tried  to  drive  his  heels 
in,  but  only  splintered  off  a  tiny  bit  of  the 


WINTER   IN    DORFLI.  83 

icy  surface.  The  whole  Aim  was  frozen  as 
hard  as  a  rock.  Peter  knew  well  that  only 
under  such  circumstances  could  Heidi 
come  up  to  the  cottage,  and  he  was  con- 
tent. Quickly  he  gulped  down  his  milk, 
when  he  had  entered  the  cottage  again, 
stuffed  his  bread  into  his  pocket,  and  said 
hurriedly,  "  Now  I  must  go  to  school." 

"  Yes,  go  and  study  hard,"  said  his 
mother  encouragingly. 

Out  of  the  window  crept  Peter  again, 
for  the  door  was  fast,  drew  his  little  sledge 
after  him,  and  down  he  shot  like  a  rocket 
over  the  crust.  He  flew  along  so  fast  that 
when  he  came  to  Dorfli,  where  the  descent 
continues  down  to  Mayenfeld,  he  still  went 
on.  for  it  seemed  to  him  that  he  must 
exert  great  force  over  himself  and  his 
sledge  if  he  wanted  to  stop  in  his  course 


84  HEIDI. 

So  on  he  went  until  he  came  quite  down 
to  the  plain,  where  the  sledge  stopped  of 
itself.  He  got  off,  and  looked  about  him. 
He  had  been  carried  even  beyond  Mayen- 
feld.  Now  it  occurred  to  him  that  the 
school  must  have  beeun  some  time  ao-o, 
and  that  it  would  be  over  before  he  could 
get  up  there,  as  it  would  take  him  a  full 
hour  to  climb  the  hill  again.  So  he  took 
his  time  to  return,  and  so  it  was  that 
he  reached  Dorfli  just  as  Heidi  had  got 
home  from  school,  and  was  sitting  down  to 
dinner  with  her  grandfather.  Peter  went 
in,  and  having  a  big  thought  to  express, 
which  lay  very  near  the  surface,  he  got  rid 
of  it  as  soon  as  he  entered.  "  We've  got 
it,"  he  said,  standing  in  the  doorway. 

"What?    What?    General,  that   sounds 
very  warlike,"  said  the  uncle. 


WINTER   IN   DORFLI.  85 

"  The  crust,"  replied  the  lad. 

"  Oh !  oh !  now  I  can  go  up  to  the 
grandmother,"  said  Heidi  joyfully,  for  she 
had  understood  Peter's  meaning  at  once. 
"  But  why  did  you  not  come  to  school, 
Peter  ?  Vou  could  have  come  down  well 
enough  on  your  sled,"  she  added  reproach- 
fully, for  it  seemed  wrong  to  her  that  he 
should  have  staid  away  when  there  was  no 
need. 

''  Came  down  too  far  on  the  sled  ;  'twas 
too  late,"  returned  Peter. 

"  That  is  called  deserting,"  said  the 
uncle,  "  and  when  men  do  that  they  must 
be  taken  by  the  ear,  do  you  understand  ? " 

Peter  covered  his  ears  with  his  hands  in 
a  great  fright.  For  if  there  was  anybody 
in  the  world  whom  he  feared  especially,  it 
was  the  Aim  uncle. 


86  HEIDI. 

"  And  you  an  officer  into  the  bargain," 
said  the  uncle  further.  "  It  is  twice  as  bad 
for  you  to  run  away  in  this  fashion.  What 
would  you  think  if  your  goats  were  to  run 
away,  one  here  and  one  there,  and  take  it 
into  their  heads  not  to  follow,  or  obey  you 
any  more  ?     What  would  you  do  then  ?  " 

"  Beat  them,"  was  the  laconic  reply. 

"And  if  a  boy  did  the  same  thing,  like 
an  unherded  goat,  and  should  get  beaten 
a  little,  what  would  you  say  then  ?  " 

"  Served  him  right,"  was  the  answer. 

"  So  now,  you  know  what  you  deserve, 
goat-general.  The  next  time  you  go  slid- 
ing down  below  into  the  valley,  instead  of 
stopping  at  the  school,  just  come  in  here, 
and  I  will  give  it  to  you." 

Now,  at  last,  Peter  understood  the  drift 
of  the    conversation,   and    that   the    uncle 


WINTER   IN    DORFLI.  87 

meant  him,  when  he  spoke  of  a  lad  who 
ran  away  hke  an  unherded  goat.  He 
was  quite  struck  by  the  comparison,  and 
stood  staring  into  the  corner,  as  if  he  saw 
something  lying  there  such  as  he  would 
use,  in  like  circumstances,  for  the  goats. 

But  the  uncle  resumed  quite  pleasantly, 
"  Come  now,  sit  down  to  table  with  us,  and 
Heidi  shall  then  go  up  with  you." 

Peter  was  delisfhted  at  this  most  unex- 
pected  turn  of  affairs,  and  twisted  his  face 
into  all  sorts  of  grimaces,  to  express  his 
pleasure.  He  obeyed  without  hesitation, 
and  seated  himself  next  Heidi,  who,  how- 
ever, had  soon  finished  her  dinner  ;  she 
was  so  gflad  to  q-q  at  last  to  see  the  orrand- 
mother  that  she  could  not  eat.  She  gave 
her  potato  and  toasted  cheese  to  Fetcr, 
who  had  already  received  a  platefu?  from 


88  HEIDI. 

the  uncle,  and  so  had  a  formidable  pile 
before  him.  His  courage  did  not  fail  him, 
however,  and  he  advanced  valiantly  to  the 
attack.  Heidi  ran  to  the  press  to  fetch 
her  new  warm  mantle,  which  Klara  had 
sent  her.  Now  she  could  make  the  jour- 
ney, with  the  hood  over  her  ears,  and  be 
perfectly  warm.  She  seated  herself  again 
by  the  lad's  side,  saying,  as  soon  as  he  had 
finished  his  last  bit,  "  Oh !  come  now, 
Peter !  "  and  off  they  went. 

All  the  way  Heidi  had  a  great  deal  to 
tell  her  companion  about  Schwanli  and 
Barli,  and  how  they  would  not  eat  in  their 
stalls  on  the  first  day,  and  made  no  sound  ; 
and  how  she  had  asked  her  grandfather 
the  reason ,  and  he  had  replied  that  they 
felt  as  sh?  did  wherj  she  went  to  Frankfort, 
for  they  had  nevej  come  down   from   the 


WINTER    IN    DORFLI.  89 

Aim  before  in  all  their  lives.  And  Heidi 
said,  "  Peter,  you  ought  to  know  just  once, 
what  that  dreadful  feeling  is." 

The  two  children  had  now  almost 
reached  the  cottage,  and  Peter  had  not 
spoken  a  word ;  he  was  so  absorbed  in 
thought  that  he  could  not  even  listen  as 
usual.  Now  he  stood  still,  and  said  a  little 
crossly,  "  I  would  rather  go  to  school,  than 
to  get  from  the  uncle  what  he  promised 
me,"  and  Heidi,  being  of  the  same  opinion, 
strengthened  Peter  in  his  resolution. 

They  found  Peter's  mother  sitting  alone 
with  her  mending.  The  grandmother  had 
to  be  in  bed  all  day,  it  was  too  cold  for 
her,  and  she  was  otherwise  far  from  well. 
This  was  new  to  Heidi,  who  had  always 
found  her  old  friend  seated  in  the  corner 
at  her  spinning-wheel.      She   ran   quickly 


90  .  HEIDI. 

to    the    bedroom,    where    lay   the    grand 
mother  in    her  narrow  bed,  with    its    thin 
coverlet,    herself  wrapped    closely    in    the 
gray  shawl. 

"  God  be  thanked  and  praised,"  said  the 
blind  woman,  as  she  heard  Heidi's  bound- 
ing step  on  the  floor.  Ever  since  Peter 
had  told  her  of  the  old  gentleman  from 
Frankfort,  who  had  been  every  day  up  to 
the  Aim,  and  often  to  the  pasture  with 
Heidi,  she  had  felt  anxious  lest  he  should 
be  able  to  persuade  the  child  to  return 
with  him  ,  and  even  after  he  had  left,  she 
still  feared  that  some  messenger  would 
come,  and  deprive  her  of  her  treasure. 

Heidi  stood  by  the  bedside  now,  ask- 
ing anxiously,  "  Are  you  very  ill,  grand- 
mother ?  " 

"  No,  no,  child  !     The  cold  has  got  into 


WINTER   IN    DORFLI.  9 1 

my  bones  a  little,  that  is  all,"  and  she 
stroked  the  child's  cheek  lovingly. 

"  Shall  }'OLi  be  quite  well,  then,  when  the 
weather  is  warm  again  ?"  asked  Heidi. 

"  Oh,  yes,  sooner  than  that,  I  hope ; 
please  God  that  I  get  to  my  spinning 
before  long.  I  meant  to  have  tried  to-day, 
to-morrow  I  shall  get  at  it,"  said  the  grand- 
mother confidently,  for  she  saw  that  Heidi 
was  frightened. 

Her  words  had  the  desired  effect. 
Heidi  sat  silent  for  a  while,  and  then  said  : 
"  Grandmother,  in  Frankfort  they  wear 
their  shawls  only  to  go  walking.  Did  you 
think  they  wore  them  in  bed  ? " 

"  Don't  you  see,  Heidi,  I  wear  the  shawl 

in  bed  that  I  may  not  be  cold  ?     I  am  so 

/- 

glad  I  have  got  it,  for  the  bedclothes  are 
rather  thin." 


92  HEIDI. 

"  But,  grandmother,"  said  Heidi   again 
"  at  your  head   it  goes    down,  instead   of 
going   up.     That    is    not    the    way  a   bed 
should    be." 

"  I  know  that,  child,  I  feel  it  very  plainly 
myself,"  and  the  old  woman  fumbled  at  the 
thin  little  pillow,  trying  to  get  a  better 
place  for  her  head  upon  it.  "You  see  this 
was  never  a  thick  pillow,  and  now  I  have 
lain  on  it  for  so  many  years,  it  has  got  all 
flattened  out." 

"  Oh,  if  I  had  only  asked  Klara  to  give 
me  my  bed,  to  bring  with  me !  "  cried 
Heidi.  "  It  had  three  big,  thick  pillows. 
one  over  the  other,  and  I  was  always  slip- 
ping down  until  I  came  to  the  flat  part, 
and  then  had  to  pull  myself  up  again 
where  I  ought  to  be.  Can  you  sleep  so, 
grandmother  ? " 


WINTER   IN   DORFLI.  93 

"Yes,  indeed,  it  keeps  one  warm,  and 
one  can  breathe  far  better  when  one's  head 
is  high,"  repHed  the  grandmother,  trying 
to  raise  herself  into  a  better  position. 
"  But  we  won't  talk  about  it  any  more.  I 
have  so  much  to  be  thankful  for,  that  other 
old,  sick  people  are  without  ;  the  nice  soft 
rolls  every  day,  and  this  beautiful  warm 
shawl,  and  that  you  come,  as  )ou  do,  to 
se  ^  me,  Meidi.  Are  you  going  to  read  me 
something  to-day  ?  " 

The  little  girl  ran  to  get  the  book.  She 
picked  out  one  nice  hymn  after  another, 
for  she  knew  them  all,  and  was  glad  to 
read  them  aeain  ;  it  seemed  so  longf  since 
she  had  done  so. 

The  grandmother  lay  with  folded  hands, 
and  her  face,  which  had  looked  worn  and 
troubled    before,  now  assumed  a  peaceful 


94  HEIDI. 

expression,  as  if  some  great  happiness  had 
befallen  her. 

Presently  Heidi  stopped  reading.  "  Are 
you  better  now,  grandmother  ?"  she  said. 

"  I  am  well,  Heidi,  you  make  me  well. 
Read  it  through,  will  you?" 

The  child  read  the  hymn  to  the  end, 
and  as  she  came  to  the  last  verse,  — 

"  Even  though  my  sight  grows '  dim, 
Brighter  still  my  spirit  burns ; 
And  I  joyful  turn  to  Him, 

As  the  traveller  homeward  turns," 

the  grandmother  repeated  it  once  and 
again,  while  on  her  face  there  lay  as  it 
were  a  great,  joyful  expectation.  Into 
Heidi's  memory  came  the  bright,  sunny 
day  of  her  return  to  her  grandfather  and 
to  the  Aim,  and  she  exclaimed,  "  Grand- 


WINTER    IN   DORFLI.  95 

mother,  I  know  how  it  is  when  the  travel- 
ler homeward  turns."  The  grandmother 
did  not  speak,  but  she  certainly  under- 
stood, for  the  look  that  always  made  Heidi 
feel  so  happy  remained  on  her  face. 

After  a  while  the  child  said :  "It  is 
getting  dark,  grandmother,  I  must  go 
home ;  but  I  am  so  glad  that  you  are 
better." 

Holding  the  child's  hand  tightly  in  her 
own  the  grandmother  said :  "  Yes,  I  am 
glad  too ;  and  even  if  I  must  keep  on 
lying  here,  I  am  well.  You  cannot  know, 
no  one  can,  how  terrible  it  is  to  be  all 
alone  for  many,  many  days,  to  hear  not 
a  word  spoken,  and  to  see  nothing,  not  a 
single  ray  of  light.  Then  very  heavy 
thoughts  come  to  one,  it  seems  as  if 
it   would    never   be    light    again,    and    as 


g6  HEIDI. 

if  one  could  not  bear  to  live.  Such  words 
as  you  have  just  read  to  me,  Heidi, 
bring  light  and  happiness  into  one's  heart 
again." 

Then  the  grandmother  let  go  the  child's 
hand,  and  after  she  had  said  good- night 
she  ran  out  quickly,  for  indeed  the  night 
had  already  come.  But  outside  the  moon 
shone  clear  in  heaven,  so  that  it  was  bright 
as  day.  Peter  placed  himself  on  his  sled, 
with  Heidi  behind  him  ;  and  like  two  birds 
through  the  air,  they  glided  together  down 
the  Aim. 

But  later,  when  Heidi  lay  on  her  bed 
of  hay  behind  the  stove,  warm  and  com- 
fortable, her  thoughts  returned  again  to 
the  poor  old  blind  grandmother,  with  her 
thin  pillow,  and  her  darkness  within  and 
without.     She  wondered  how  long  it  might 


WINTER    IN   DORFLI.  97 

be  before  she  could  go  again  to  read  to 
her,  and  kindle  the  light  that  only  could 
help  her  to  bear  her  loneliness.  Long 
she  pondered,  seeking  for  something  that 
would  be  of  use  to  her  old  friend.  At 
last  it  came  to  her.  She  knew  now  what  to 
do,  and  could  hardly  wait  for  the  morrow 
to  begin  to  put  her  new  plan  into  execu- 
tion. 

So  wrapped  in  thought  had  been  Heidi, 
that  she  had  not  yet  said  the  prayer  which 
she  never  forgot  before  going  to  sleep. 
She  prayed  now  for  her  grandfather  and 
for  the  grandmother,  and  slept  thereafter 
profoundly  till  break  of  day. 


gS  HEIDL 


CHAPTER    V. 

THE    WINTER    STILL    CONTINUES, 

The  following  day  Peter  came  down 
punctually  to  school,  bringing  his  dinner 
in  his  satchel,  as  was  the  custom.  When 
the  children  who  lived  in  Dorfli  went  home 
at  noon,  those  who  came  from  a  distance 
seated  themselves  on  the  table,  and  plac 
ing  their  feet  against  a  bench,  spread  out 
their  dinner  on  their  knees.  Thus  till  one 
o'clock  could  they  enjoy  themselves,  and 
then  school  began  again.  Peter  for  once 
had  got  through  an  entire  day  in  the 
schoolroom,  and  when  it  was  over  he  went 
to  see  Heidi  at  her  grandfather's. 


THE   WINTER   STILL   COXTIXUES.  99 

As  he .  entered  the  big  room,  Heidi, 
who  had  just  preceded  him,  darted  over  to 
him.  saying,  "  I   know  something,  Peter." 

"Well?"   returned  the  lad. 

"  You  must  learn  to  read." 

"  Have  learned." 

"  Yes,  yes,  but  I  do  not  mean  like  that ; 
I  mean,  so  that  you  can  read  any  time, 
anywhere." 

"  Can't." 

"  No  one  will  believe  that  of  you  any 
longer,  not  I  certainly,"  said  Heidi  eagerly. 
"  The  grandmamma  in  Frankfort  knew  that 
it  was  not  true,  and  she  told  me  not  to  be- 
lieve it." 

This  piece  of  news  surprised  Peter  very 
much. 

"  I  will  teach  you  to  read,  I  know  quite 
well    how,"  continued    Heidi  ;   "  you  must 


lOO  HEIDI. 

learn,  and  then  read  a  hymn  or  two  to  the 
grandmother  every  day." 

"  That's  nothing, "  Sfrumbled   Peter. 

This  obstinate  resistance  against  some- 
thing that  was  good  and  right,  and  that 
Heidi  had  so  much  at  heart,  excited  the 
child's  indignation.  With  flashing  eyes  she 
placed  herself  before  the  boy,  and  said 
threateningly:  "Then  I  will  tell  you  what 
will  happen  to  you,  if  you  do  not  learn. 
Your  mother  has  already  said  that  you 
must  go  to  Frankfort  to  learn  all  sorts 
of  things  ;  and  I  know  where  the  boys  go 
to  school  there.  Klara  pointed  out  the 
big  schoolhouse  to  me,  when  we  were  out 
driving.  But  in  Frankfort  they  do  not 
stop  going  to  school  when  the)-  grow  up, 
but  keep  on  even  after  they  are  big  men. 
I    Saw   that   myself.      And    you    need    not 


THE    WINTER    STILL   CONTINUES.         lOI 

think  there  is  only  one  teacher  there  as 
we  have  here,  and  such  a  good  one,  too. 
No,  whole  rows  of  masters  go  together 
into  the  schoolhouse,  and  they  are  all 
in  black  as  if  they  were  going  to  church, 
and  have  black  hats  on  their  heads  so 
hieh  ;  "  and  Heidi  indicated  with  her  hand 
the  height  of  the  hats  from  the  floor, 
while  cold  shudders  ran  down  her  listen- 
er's back. 

"  Then  you  will  have  to  go  in  amongst 
all  those  gentlemen,"  continued  Heidi 
with  ardor,  "  and  when  your  turn  comes 
and  you  cannot  read,  nor  even  spell  the 
words  without  mistakes,  then  you  will  see 
how  the  gentlemen  will  laugh,  and  make 
fun  of  you  It  will  be  worse  than  Tinette, 
and  you  ought  to  know  what  it  is  when 
she  makes  fun  of  you." 


I02  HEIDI. 

"Then  I  will  learn,"  said  the  boy,  half 
angry,  half  complaining. 

"  Now  that  is  right,"  said  Heidi,  soft- 
ened at  once.  "  We  will  begin  right  away," 
and  she  busily  got  together  the  necessary 
things,  and  drew  Peter  towards  the  table. 

Amongst  the  many  things  that  her  dear 
Klara  had  sent  her  from  Frankfort,  in  the 
big  parcel,  one  which  had  pleased  Heidi 
very  much  at  the  time,  was  a  little  book 
of  the  alphabet  with  verses,  Heidi  had 
thought  of  this  book,  when  she  was  mak- 
ing the  plan  of  teaching  Peter  the  previous 
evening.  The  two  children  now  sat  down 
together,  their  heads  bent  over  the  little 
book,  and  the  lesson  began.  Peter  had 
to  spell  out  the  first  verse  again  and  again, 
for  Heidi  was  determined  to  have  the  les- 
son thoroughly  learned.     At  last  she  said  ; 


THE   WINTER   STILL   CONTINUES.         IO3 

"  You  cannot  do  it  yet ;  but  I  will  read  it 
over  to  you  one  time  after  another,  and 
when  )Ou  know  what  it  means  then  you 
can  spell  it  out  better."     So  she  read,  — 

"If  your  ABC  is  not  learned  to-day, 
Go  to  be  punished  to-morrow,  I  say." 

"  I  won't  go,"  said   Peter  crossly. 

"Where?"  asked   Heidi. 

"  To  be  punished." 

"Then  try  to  learn  your  ABC  to-day," 

So  Peter  set  himself  to  the  task,  repeat- 
ing the  letters  perseveringly,  until  Heidi 
said,  "  Now  you  know  those  three,"  and 
as  she  saw  how  much  the  couplet  had 
helped  her  scholar,  she  wanted  to  go  on 
and  prepare  the  way  a  little  for  the  next 
lesson.  So  she  read  several  more  verses, 
very  slowly  and  distinctly. 


I04  HEIDI. 

"DEFG  must  follow  straight, 
Or  sad  misfortune  will  you  await. 

Forgotten  is  your  H I K, 
Very  unlucky  is  that  day. 

Who  stammers  over  L  and  M, 
Receives  a  punishment  with  shame. 

Now  it  goes  fast,  as  it  should  do, 
You  learn  right  quickly  NOPQ. 

But  should  you  stop  at  RST, 
Something  will  hurt  you  terribly." 

Here  Heidi  stopped,  for  Peter  was  as 
still  as  a  mouse,  and  she  had  to  look  to 
see  what  he  was  about.  All  these  threat- 
enings  and  mjsterious  warnings  had  fright- 
ened him  so  terribl)'  that  he  did  not  dare 
to  stir,  and  sat  staring  at  the  little  girl 
full  of  alarm.  His  looks  stirred  her  tender 
heart,   and    she    said    reassuringly :    *'  You 


THE    WINTER   STILL   CONTINUES.         IO5 

need  not  be  so  frightened.  Peter.  If  you 
will  come  to  me  every  evening,  not  as 
you  go  to  school,  but  rc:gularly,  I  will 
teach  )'Ou  ;  and  if  )OU  learn  as  fast  as  you 
have  to-day,  at  last  )ou  will  know  all  the 
letters,  and  the  other  things  will  not  hap- 
pen. But  remember,  you  must  not  let  the 
snow  keep  you  away." 

Peter  promised,  for  he  was  quite  tame 
and  docile  after  the  fright  he  had  received. 
He  followed  his  little  teacher's  directions 
faithfully,  and  studied  his  letters  every 
evening  till  he  had  them  all  by  heart,  and 
the  verses  too.  The  grandfather  often  sat 
in  the  room,  smoking  his  pipe  and  listen- 
ing to  the  exercises,  and  often  the  corners 
of  his  mouth  twitched  with  suppressed 
laughter,  it  was  so  droll.  Peter  was  gen- 
erally rewarded  with  an   invitation   to   sup- 


to6  HEIDI. 

per  after  his  tremendous  exertions.  This 
always  consoled  him,  and  removed  any 
danger  ot  his  suftering  from  the  fright 
caused  by  the  verses,  and  their  threatened 
punishments. 

The  winter  days  passed  one  after  anoth- 
er, brino-inor  the  lad  with  them,  who  made 
fair  progress  with  his  alphabet.  At  last 
they  reached  the  letter  V,  and  Heidi  read 
the  couplet,  — 

.  *'  Whoever  mistakes  the  U  for  V 
Must  go  where  he  dishkes  to  be," 

fvhen  Peter  growled  out,  "  See  if  I  do ! " 
But  for  all  that  he  studied  hard,  just  as 
if  he  feared  some  one  coming  up  to  take 
him  by  the  collar  from  behind,  to  carry 
him  where  he  disliked  to  be.  The  next 
evening  came,  — 


THE   WINTER   STILL   CONTINUES.         IO7 

"  If  W  is  not  learned  at  all, 
Beware  the  rod  upon  the  wall." 

"There  isn't  any,"  said  the  lad  scorn- 
fully, looking  up  at  the  wall. 

"  Then  you  do  not  know  what  my  grand- 
father  has  in  his  chest.  If  that  thick  stick 
as  big  as  my  arm  should  be  taken  out,  I 
think  we  should  say,  '  Beware  the  rod.'  " 

Peter  did  know  that  hazel  stick,  and 
bent  over  his  W  till  he  had  mastered   it. 

"  If  you  forget  your  X  to-day, 
Nothing  to  eat  will  come  your  way." 

Looking  searchingly  towards  the  press, 
where  the  bread  and  cheese  were  kept,  our 
scholar  said  crossly,  "  I  never  said  I  was 
going  to  forget  my  X." 

"Well,  if  you  won't  forget  it,  we  can 
learn  another  letter  to-da)',  and  that  is  the 
last  but  one." 


I08  HEIDI. 

Peter  did  not  agree  to  this,  but  Heidi 
read  the  couplet, — 

"  If  from  your  Y  you  run  away, 
You  will  be  laughed  at  all  the  day ; " 

and  before  Peter's  eyes  all  the  black  gen- 
tlemen in  Frankfort  rose  up,  with  their 
tall  hats  on  their  heads,  and  laughter  and 
scorn  on  their  faces.  He  learned  Y  so 
thoroughly  that  he  knew  how  it  looked 
with  his  eyes  shut. 

But  the  next  day  found  him  in  rather 
a  high  and  mighty  mood,  for  there  was 
only  one  more  letter  to  be  learned.  So 
when  his  patient  teacher  read,  — 

"  Who  stops  and  ponders  over  Z 
Unto  the  Hottentots  must  flee," 

he  called  out  scornfully,  "  Oh  yes,  but 
nobody  knows  where  to  find  them." 


THE    WINTER   STILL   CONTINUES.         IO9 

"Truly,  Peter,  my  t^raiulfather  knows  all 
about  them  ;  I  will  run  over  to  the  parson- 
age and  ask  him,"  and  Heidi  jumped  up 
and  ran  to  the  door. 

"Wait!"  cried  Peter,  who  felt  as  if  the 
Aim  uncle  and  the  pastor  at  his  back  would 
be  upon  him  in  a  trice,  and  pack  him  off 
to  the  Hottentots,  for  he  really  had  forgot- 
ten what  to  call  Z. 

The  earnestness  in  his  tone  made  Heidi 
pause.  "What  is  the  matter  with  you?" 
she  asked,  astonished. 

"Nothing!  Come  back!  I  will  learn 
it,"  he  stammered  out.  But  Heidi  had 
begun  to  feel  interested  about  these  Hot- 
tentots herself,  and  wished  to  know  where 
they  did  live,  and  she  was  going  over  to 
find  out.  But  her  pupil  called  after  her 
so  despairingly  that  she  yielded,  exacting 


I  lO  HEIDI 

extra  work  from  him  in  return.  Not  only 
Z  was  mastered,  but  Heidi  forced  her  pu- 
pil into  words  of  one  syllable  ;  and  Peter 
got  a  start  this  evening  he  had  never  had 
before. 

The  snow  had  become  soft  again,  and 
thereafter  more  fell  and  yet  more,  so  that 
for  fully  three  weeks  Heidi  did  not  get  up 
to  see  the  grandmother.  All  the  harder 
she  worked  with  Peter,  in  order  that  he 
might  be  able  to  read  the  hymns.  At  last 
one  evening  the  lad  entered  his  mother's 
sitting-room,  and  announced  in  his  usual 
abrupt  fashion,  "  I  know  how." 

"What  do  you  know,  Peterkin  ?  " 

"  How  to  read." 

"Is  it  possible,  my  son?  Mother,  did 
you  hear  that  ? "  cried  Brigitte,  full  of  ad- 
miration. 


THE   WINTER   STILL   CONTINUES.         I  I  I 

Of  course  the  grandmother  was  much 
interested,  and  full  of  wonderment  as  to 
how  this  had  come  about. 

"  I  must  read  you  a  hymn,  Heidi  told 
me  to,"  went  on  Peter. 

Brigitte  quickly  brought  the  book,  and 
Peter  began  to  read  aloud.  After  every 
verse  his  mother  said,  "  Who  would  be- 
lieve it !  "  The  blind  woman  also  followed 
the  verses  intently,  but  she  made  no  com- 
ment. 

The  day  after,  it  happened  that  Peter's 
class  at  school  had  a  reading  exercise. 
When  our  young  friend's  turn  came,  the 
teacher  asked,  "  Shall  we  skip  you,  Peter, 
as  usual,  or  will  you  try,  I  will  not  say  to 
read,  but  to  stammer  out  a  line  or  two?" 

Peter  began,  and  read  two  or  three  lines 
without  a  single  mistake. 


112  HEIDI. 

The  teacher  laid  down  his  book,  and 
stared  at  the  boy  as  if  he  had  never  heard 
reading  before.  "  Peter,"  he  said  at  last, 
*'  a  miracle  must  have  taken  place.  As  long 
as  with  unbroken  patience  I  worked  daily 
over  your  reading,  you  never  even  learned 
your  letters.  After  I  gave  up  trying  to 
teach  you  as  a  waste  of  time,  here  you  are 
reading  perfectly  well.  Whence  comes  in 
our  age  such  a  miracle,  Peter  ? " 

"  From   Heidi,"  answered  the  lad. 

The  teacher  looked  at  Heidi,  who  was 
sitting  quietly  in  her  place,  and  had  not  in 
any  way  the  appearance  of  a  miracle- 
worker. 

"  I  have  noticed,  indeed,  a  change  in 
you,  Peter,"  continued  the  master.  "  For- 
merly you  were  often  a  whole  week  without 
coming  down    to   school   at    all,    now  you 


THE   WINTER   STILL   CONTINUES.         II3 

never  stay  away,  but  come  regularly.  To 
what  am  I   to  attribute  this  change  ? " 

"  To  the  uncle,"  was  the  reply. 

With  increasing  astonishment  the  teacher 
looked  from  Peter  to  Heidi,  and  from  the 
little  girl  back  to  Peter  again.  Then  he 
said  cautiously,  "  You  may  read  again." 
Peter  did  so,  and  satisfactorily.  It  was. 
indeed  true ;  he  had  learned  to  read. 

As  soon  as  he  had  dismissed  the  schoo) 
the  master  hastened  to  the  parsonage,  to 
relate  what  had  taken  place  that  day,  and 
to  bear  testimony  to  the  good  influence 
exerted  by  Heidi  and  her  grandfather  over 
those  about  them. 

Every  evening  at  home  Peter  read  aloud 
a  single  hymn.  Thus  far  he  obeyed  Heidi, 
but  he  never  volunteered  a  second,  nor  did 
his  grandmother  ever  ask  for  a  repetition. 


114  HEIDI. 

Brigitte's  delight,  however,  was  undimin- 
ished ;  and  often  when  the  reader  had  long 
been  fast  asleep,  she  would  say  proudly : 
"We  cannot  be  thankful  enough,  mother, 
that  Peterkin  has  learned  to  read  ;  we  may 
expect  wonderful  things  from  him  now." 

"  Yes,"  said  her  mother  one  night,  "  yes, 
it  is  well  for  Peter  that  he  has  at  last  learned 
something ;  but  I  hope  the  good  God  will 
soon  let  the  spring  come,  so  that  I  may 
have  Heidi  again.  Something  is  left  out 
so  often  when  Peterkin  reads  to  me ;  I 
have  to  think  about  it,  and  then  I  lose  the 
place,  and  they  don't  do  me  the  good  that 
they  do  when  Heidi  reads  them." 

For  the  truth  was  that  Peter,  in  order 
to  make  the  reading  as  easy  for  himself  as 
possible,  left  out  all  the  long  words  or  those 
that  looked  difificult.     "There  are  enough 


THE   WINTER   STIl  L   CONTINUES.         II5 

left,"  he  said  to  himself,  "  the  g-randmother 
will  never  miss  them."  So,  naturally,  the 
sense  of  the  verses  suffered,  in  Peter's 
manner  of  reading  them. 


1 6  IIEIDL 


CHAPTER   VI. 

DISTANT    FRIENDS    BESTIR    THEMSELVES. 

It  was  the  month  of  May.  The  moun- 
tain brooks,  swollen  by  the  melting  snow 
of  spring,  leaped  down  from  every  height 
to  the  valley.  Bright  and  warm  lay  the 
sunshine  on  the  Alp,  which  grew  greener 
day  by  day.  The  last  lingering  snowdrift 
sunk  away,  and  from  out  the  fresh  new 
grass  the  little  early  flowers  peeped  joy- 
ously, opening  hourly  to  the  sun's  quick 
ening  rays.  The  merry  spring  breezes 
rustled  througfh  the  branches  of  the  old 
pines,  shaking  out  the  last  year's  rusty 
vieedles,   to   make    room    for  the    brighter 


DISTANT   FRIENDS    BESTIR   THEMSELVES.    II7 

green  of  their  new  array.  High  above  all, 
the  great  eagle  spread  wide  his  majestic 
wings  against  the  blue,  cloud-flecked  sky, 
and  golden  sun -flames  sought  out  and 
dried  each  linirerinor  trace  of  winter's  frost, 
and  spread  a  warm  mantle  abroad  over  the 
wide  Aim. 

Heidi  was  again  on  the  Alp.  She  ran 
hither  and  thither,  and  did  not  know  which 
spot  was  the  most  beautiful.  Now  she 
hearkened  to  the  wind,  as  with  deep,  mys- 
terious murmurings  it  came  towards  her 
from  )'onder  rocky  crag,  growing  ever 
nearer,  ever  stronger,  till  it  seemed  to 
bury  itself  deep  in  the  pine-trees,  shaking 
them  and  rustlinij  them  with  a  shout  so 
joyous,  that  she  joined  in  with  all  her 
force,  and  was  borne  this  way  and  that  as 
if  she   herself  were   a  spring   leaf.     Then 


Il8  HEIDI. 

away  to  the  other  side  of  the  hut  she  flew, 
flinging  herself  down  on  the  sun-bathed 
grass  to  peer  in  among  the  short  blades, 
spying  out  the  timid  flower  buds,  and 
counting  how  many  were  already  opened 
at  the  call  of  spring.  The  mazy  dances  of 
the  flies  and  midges,  rejoicing  in  the 
spring  breeze,  delighted  the  child,  and  she 
drew  in  deep  inspirations  of  the  scented 
air,  as  it  rose  from  the  fresh,  moist  earth, 
and  thought  the  Alp  was  never  yet  so 
beautiful  as  now.  Every  tiny  living  crea- 
ture, she  felt,  must  have  its  sense  of  per- 
fect happiness  as  well  as  she,  for  they 
seemed  humming  and  singing  one  to  an- 
other, "  On  the  Alp  !  on  the  Alp !  on  the 
Alp  !  "  in  chorus  continual. 

From    the    little  workshop   in    the   shed 
behind   the   hut,  came   mingling  with   the 


DISTANT    FRIENDS    BESTIR   THEMSELVES.    II9 

rest  the  busy  sound  of  hammer  and  of 
saw.  a  strain  of  homely  music  very  dear 
to  Heidi  ;  for  did  it  not  belong  to  the  old, 
happy  life  upon  the  Aim,  yes,  from  the 
very  beginning?  Into  the  shop  she  ran 
with  nimble  feet,  for  she  must  know  what 
her  grandfather  was  working  at  so  busily. 
Outside  the  door  stood  a  new  chair,  all 
spick  and  span,  and  another  almost  com- 
pleted was  still  under  the  uncle's  skilful 
hands. 

"  I  know  what  that  means,''  cried  Heidi 
joyfully,  "  we  shall  need  these  when  they 
come  from  Frankfort.  This  one  is  for  the 
grandmamma,  and  that  for  Klara,  I  sup- 
pose there  will  have  to  be  another,"  the 
child  went  on  falteringly,  "or  do  you  think, 
grandfather,  that  Miss  Rottenmeier  will 
not  come  ? " 


I20  HEIDI. 

"That  I  cannot  possibly  tell,  my  child, 
but  it  will  be  safer  to  have  a  chair  ready, 
so  that  we  can  ask  her  to  take  a  seat,  if 
she  is  here." 

Heidi  stood  looking  for  a  long  time  at 
the  armless,  stift  wooden  chairs,  and  mak- 
ing silent  mental  observations  of  how  Miss 
Rottenmeier  would  look  if  seated  upon 
one.  Presently  she  said  slowly,  shaking 
her  head,  "  Grandfather,  I  do  not  believe 
she  will  sit  on  that." 

"  Then  we  will  invite  her  to  be  seated 
on  the  beautiful  turf-covered  sofa,"  replied 
her  grandfather  composedly. 

While  the  child  was  puzzling  over  this 
answer,  the  shrill  whistle  and  shout  that 
she  knew  well  came  suddenly  to  her  ear. 
She  ran  out,  and  was  at  once  surrounded 
by  the  bleating  flock,  which  showed  plainly 


DISTAxNT   FRIENDS   BESTIR   THEMSELVES.     I  2  I 

that  it  shared  her  pleasure  at  being  upon 
the  Alp  again.  Peter  drove  them  all  back, 
one  to  the  right  and  one  to  the  left,  for  he 
had  something  to  give  to  Heidi.  As  he 
drew  near,  he  reached  toward  her  a  letter. 
"There!"  he  said,  leaving  to  Heidi  her- 
self any  further  explanation  of  the  matter. 

"  Did  you  find  this  letter  for  me  up  in 
the  pasture,  Peter  ?  " 

"  No,"  was  the  answer. 

"  Where  then  did  you  get  it?" 

"  From  the  lunch-bag." 

The  statement  was  a  true  one.  On  the 
previous  evening  the  postman  had  given 
the  letter  to  Peter,  to  take  up  to  the  Aim, 
and  Peter  had  placed  it  in  his  empty 
satchel.  The  next  morning  the  lad  put 
his  bread  and  cheese  into  the  satchel  as 
usual,  and  went  up  the  Alp  with  his  goats. 


122  HEIDI. 

Of  course  he  had  seen  the  uncle  and  Heidi 
on  his  way  up,  but  not  until  he  had  eaten 
his  dinner,  and  was  shaking  out  the  last 
crumbs,  did  the  letter  again  see  the  light. 
Heidi  read  the  address  carefully,  then  she 
ran  back  to  her  grandfather  in  the  shop, 
and  in  high  glee  held  out  the  letter  to  him. 
"  From  Frankfort,  from  Klara !  "  she  cried. 
"  May  I  read  it  to  you  right  away,  grand- 
father ? " 

The  uncle  was  ready,  and  so  was  Peter. 
The  latter  disposed  himself  to  listen,  un- 
invited, by  placing  himself  firmly  with  his 
back  against  the  doorpost  ;  for  thus  he 
could  best  follow  the  reading. 

"  Dear  Heidi  : 

"We  have  already  packed  up  everything 
for  the  journey,  and  in  two  or  three  days 


DISTANT    FRIENDS   BESTIR   THEMSELVES.    I  23 

we  hope  to  start.  Papa  is  going  away 
too,  but  not  with  us  ;  he  must  go  directly 
to  Paris.  Every  day  Dr.  Classen  comes, 
calline  out  almost  before  he  enters  the 
room  :  '  You  must  go  !  You  must  go  ! 
Off  to  the  Alp ! '  He  cannot  wait  pa- 
tiently until  we  are  ready.  I  wish  you 
could  know  how  much  he  enjoyed  his  visit 
to  the  Alp.  All  through  the  winter  he  has 
been  to  see  us  almost  every  day.  He 
would  sit  down  by  my  side,  day  after  day, 
and  tell  me  about  every  day  that  he  passed 
with  you  and  your  grandfather,  and  about 
the  mountains  and  the  flowers,  the  quiet 
that  reigned  up  there  so  high  above  all  the 
villages  and  roads,  and  the  fresh,  pure  air. 
And  he  always  said,  '  Yes,  up  there  any- 
body would  get  well  again  ! ' 

"  He  himself  is  different,  too,  from  what 


1 24  HEIDI. 

he  was  for  a  long  time  ;  he  seems  quite 
young  and  cheerful  again.  Oh,  how  happy 
I  am,  too,  at  the  thought  of  seeing  all  the 
things  he  tells  about,  and  of  being  with  you 
on  the  Alp,  and  of  making  the  acquaint- 
ance of  Peter  and  his  goats!  But  first  1 
must  be  under  treatment  for  six  weeks  in 
Ragatzbad.  The  doctor  has  ordered  that, 
and  then  we  shall  take  rooms  in  Dorfli,  so 
that  in  fine  weather  I  can  be  carried  up 
the  Alp  to  stay  all  day  with  you.  My 
grandmamma  will  go  with  me,  and  stay  all 
the  time.  She,  too,  is  very  glad  to  be  able 
to  see  you  again.  But  just  think.  Miss 
Rottenmeier  will  not  go.  My  grand- 
mamma used  to  say  to  her  almost  ever) 
day,  '  How  is  it  about  the  Swiss  trip,  my 
good  Rottenmeier?  Do  not  hesitate  to 
say  so,  if  you  wish  to  go  with  us.'     But  she 


DISTANT   FRIENDS   BESTIR   THEMSELVES.     1 25 

always  thanked  my  grandmamma  in  her 
most  terribly  polite  fashion,  and  said  that 
she  would  not  be  so  bold.  But  I  knew 
what  she  was  thinking  about.  Sebastian 
had  given  a  most  frightful  account  of  the 
Alp,  when  he  came  back  from  taking  you 
home,  how  terrible  rocks  overhung  the 
path,  and  that  everywhere  there  was 
danger  of  falling  into  chasms  or  over 
precipices,  while  the  road  went  up  so  steep 
that  it  seemed  as  if  one  would  certainly 
tumble  over  backwards  ;  that  goats,  per- 
haps, but  certainly  not  human  beings  could 
ever  climb  up  there  without  risking  their 
life.  Miss  Rottenmeier  shuddered  at  this 
description,  and  has  not  seemed  to  care 
much  since  about  the  Swiss  journey.  Ti- 
nette,  too,  has  taken  fright,  and  will  not 
go  with   me.     So  we    shall   go    all    alone, 


126  HEIDI. 

grandmamma  and  I,  though  Sebastian 
will  go  with  us  as  far  as  Ragatz,  and 
then  return. 

"  I  can  scarcely  wait,  until  the  time 
comes  to  see  you. 

"  Farewell,   dear    Heidi.     Grandmamma 
sends  you  a  thousand  good  wishes. 
"  Your  true  friend, 

"  Klara." 

As  soon  as  Heidi  had  finished  reading, 
Peter  darted  away  from  the  doorpost, 
swinging  his  rod  right  and  left,  and  mak- 
ing it  whistle  angrily  in  the  air.  Away 
down  the  mountain  scampered  the  goats, 
and  the  herd  behind  them,  slashinqr  still  at 
his  invisible  enemy.  This  enemy  was  the 
expected  company  from  Frankfort,  against 
whom  the  lad  was  very  bitter. 

Heidi,  on  the  other  hand,  was  so  full  of 


DISTANT    FRIENDS    PESTIR    THEMSELVES.     1 27 

delighted  anticipation,  that  slie  planned  a 
visit  next  day  to  the  <j;Tandmother,  to  tell 
her  all  about  the  letter,  who  were  coming 
from  Frankfort,  and  especially  who  were 
not.  It  must  all  be  of  the  greatest  impor 
tance,  Heidi  believed,  to  the  grandmother, 
who  indeed,  through  her  deep  affection  for 
Heidi,  lived  with  the  child  everything  that 
belonged  to  her  life.  So  she  started  on 
the  afternoon  of  the  following  day,  for  now 
she  was  able  to  make  her  visits  alone.  It 
was  pleasant  running  down  the  sunny  Aim, 
with  a  frolicsome  May  wind  chasing  behind 
her  with  many  a  helping  gust. 

The  grandmother  no  longer  kept  her 
bed,  but  was  sittino-  arain  in  her  corner  at 
her  spinning.  A  strange  expression,  how- 
ever, lay  on  her  face  this  afternoon,  as  if 
she  had  heavy  thoughts    for  companions. 


128  IIEIDT. 

She  had  not  slept  all  night,  because  of  the 
anxiety  which  had  come  to  her  the  even- 
ing before,  when  Peter  came  home  in  his 
anger.  The  old  woman  had  half  under- 
stood, from  his  broken  sentences,  that  a 
crowd  of  people  were  coming  from  Frank- 
fort to  the  Aim.  What  would  happen 
then  he  did  not  know,  and  she  was  left 
to  think  that  out  for  herself. 

But  now  Heidi  came  bounding  In,  and 
set  herself  with  such  energy  to  her  story 
that  for  a  while  she  was  more  absorbed 
than  ever  in  the  prospect  before  her.  But 
suddenly  she  interrupted  herself,  saying 
anxiously :  "  What  is  the  matter,  grand- 
mother ?  Are  you  not  pleased  with  all 
this,  too  ?  " 

*'  Yes,  yes,  child,  I  am  pleased  for  your 
sake,   that  you   have   something  to    make 


DISTANT    FRIENDS    BESTIR   THEMSELVES.    I  29 

you  SO  happy,"  replied  the  grandmother, 
trying  to  look  more  cheerful  as  she  spoke. 

"  But  I  can  see  quite  well,  grandmother, 
that  you  are  worried  about  something. 
Do  you  really  think  that  INIiss  Rottenmeier 
may  come,  after  all?"  asked  Heidi,  herself 
with  some  anxiety. 

"  No,  no,  it  is  nothing,  nothing  at  all," 
said  the  old  woman  soothingly.  "  Give 
me  your  hand  a  little  while,  Heidi,  so  that 
I  can  feel  that  you  are  really  here.  It 
would  surely  be  for  your  good,  though 
how  I  should  live  through  it,  I  don't 
see. 

"  I  will  have  nothing  for  my  good  that 
you  cannot  live  through,  grandmother," 
said  the  little  girl,  so  decidedly  that 
a  new  fear  arose  in  the  grandmother's 
mind. 


130  HEIDI. 

She  had  conceived  the  idea  that  the 
people  from  Frankfort  were  coming  to 
take  Heidi  back  with  them,  and  now  that 
the  child  was  strong  again,  she  knew  that 
it  would  be  good  for  her  to  go.  This  was 
the  cause  of  the  grandmother's  great  anx- 
iety. But  now  she  perceived  that  she 
ought  not  to  let  this  be  observed  by  Heidi, 
lest  the  affectionate  child  might  for  her 
sake  refuse  to  go  away.  She  cast  about 
for  an  escape  from  this  dilemma,  but  only 
for  a  moment,  for  there  was  but  one. 
"  Heidi,"  she  said,  "  I  know  of  something 
that  always  does  me  good,  and  makes  me 
contented  again.  Read  me  the  hymn  that 
begins,  '  God  will  provide.'  " 

Heidi  began  as  soon  as  she  could  get 
down  the  old  hymn-book,  and  read  in  a 
clear  tone  :  — 


DISTANT   FRIENDS    BESTIR   THEMSELVES.    I3I 

"  God  will  provide 
On  every  side 

That  wiiich  is  best; 
Should  waves  o'erroll 
Thy  shrinking  soul, 

Trust  him,  and  rest !  " 

*  Yes,  yes,  that  is  exactly  what  I 
wanted,"  said  the  ofrandmother  with  a 
lighter  heart,  and  the  troubled  expression 
passed  from  her  face.  Heidi  looked  at 
her  thoughtfully,  and  then  said :  "  '  God 
will  provide,'  we  know  what  that  means, 
don't  we,  grandmother  ?  " 

"  Yes,  yes,"  nodded  the  grandmother, 
"  and  as  we  know  that  he  will  provide 
everything  just  as  it  should  be,  we  must 
trust  to  him.  Read  it  once  more,  Heidi, 
so  that  we  can  have  it  in  mind,  and  not 
forget    it  again,"   and   the    child   read   the 


132  HEIDI. 

words  once  more,  and  yet  once  more,  to 
the  blind  grandmother. 

It  was  evening-  when  Heidi  cHmbed  the 
mountain.  The  brio-ht  stars  came  out 
gradually,  one  after  another,  twinkling  and 
sparkling,  as  if  they  were  sending  their 
light  down  for  her  especial  pleasure ;  and 
as  she  gazed  at  them  looking  down  upon 
her  from  the  blue  heaven,  she  repeated 
aloud  the  grandmother's  hymn,  "  God  will 
provide."  And  all  the  stars  seemed  to 
nod  assent,  smiling  down  at  her,  and  glow- 
ing with  the  glow  in  her  own  heart.  Thus 
she  reached  the  hut,  where  she  found  her 
grandfather  too  gazing  upward  at  the  sky, 
for  it  was  a  long  time  since  the  starry 
heaven  had  shone  so  brilliantl)'. 

Not  only  the  nights,  but  the  days  too,  of 
this  month  of  May  were  very  clear   and 


DISTANT   FRIENDS    BESTIR   TIIEMSEI.VES.     1 33 

briofht,  and  the  uncle  often  noticed  that 
the  morning  sun  rose  with  the  same 
splendor  in  the  cloudless  sky  as  that  with 
which  it  had  set,  so  that  he  said  repeatedly: 
"This  is  a  most  remarkable  month  for 
sun,  the  pasturage  will  be  very  nourishing. 
Look  out,  general,  that  your  jumpers  and 
leapers  are  not  too  bold  with  all  their 
good  food." 

And  Peter  swuncr  his  rod  round  and 
round  after  his  manner,  as  if  to  say, 
"Never  fear!     I'll  look  out  for  them." 

And  thus  the  green  month  of  May 
passed  into  the  warmer  June,  with  its  long, 
long  days  so  full  of  light,  when  all  the 
flowers  on  the  Alp  bloomed  forth,  and 
everything  glowed  with  many  colors,  and 
sweetest  perfumes  were  spread  abroad. 
Towards  the  end  of  June  Heidi  went  forth 


134  HEIDI. 

one  day  from  the  hut,  where  she  had  just 
finished  her  tasks  of  the  morning.  She 
wished  to  see  whether  the  whole  ^reat 
bush  of  starthistles  was  indeed  open,  for 
the  Bowers  were  so  exquisitely  beauti- 
ful with  the  sun  shining  through  their 
transparent  petals.  But  as  she  turned  to 
run  back  to  the  hut,  she  suddenly  gave 
such  a  cry  at  the  top  of  her  voice  that 
the  uncle  rushed  out  of  his  shop  at  the 
unusual  sound. 

"  Grandfather  !  grandfather  !  "  cried  the 
child  as  if  beside  herself,  "  come  here, 
come  here  !     See  !  see  !  " 

The  grandfather's  glance  followed  the 
excited  child's  outstretched  arm.  Cer- 
tainly it  was  an  extraordinary  sight  that 
met  his  eyes,  an  unusual  procession  to 
come   wending    up    their    quiet    Almside. 


DISTANT   FRIENDS    BESTIR   THEMSELVES.     1 35 

Two  men  led  the  way  with  an  open  htter, 
in  which  sat  a  young  girl  env-eloped  in 
many  wraps.  A  horse  followed  with  a 
statel)'  lady  on  his  back,  a  lady  who  looked 
about  her  in  a  lively  manner,  and  chatted 
briskly  with  the  young  guide  walking  at 
her  side.  The  bath-chair,  well  known  to 
Heidi,  came  next,  pushed  by  another  lad, 
and  then  a  porter  w^ith  such  a  quantity  of 
rugs,  furs,  and  shawls  that  his  basket  was 
piled  far  aboA  e  his  head. 

•'  They  are  here  !  they  are  here  !  "  cried 
Heidi,  jumping  up  and  down  for  joy  ;  and 
there  they  were  indeed.  They  came 
nearer  and  nearer,  at  last  they  were  at  the 
grass-plat  in  front  of  the  hut.  The  bearers 
set  Klara's  litter  on  the  ground,  and  the 
children  kissed  and  hugged  to  their  hearts' 
content.       The    grandmamma    descended 


136  HEIDI. 

from  her  horse,  Heidi  ran  to  her  with  a 
tender  greeting,  and  the  lady  turned  to 
the  Ahn  uncle,  who  drew  near  to  bid  her 
welcome.  There  was  no  stiffness  in  their 
meeting,  they  knew  each  other  already  as 
if  they  were  old  friends. 

After  the  first  words  of  greeting  were 
over,  the  grandmamma  exclaimed  with 
lively  interest:  "My  dear  uncle,  what  a 
glorious  place  you  have  up  here  !  Who 
could  have  believed  it  ?  A  kino;  mieht 
well  envy  it  to  you.  And  how  blooming 
my  Heidi  looks,  like  a  monthly  rose ! " 
She  drew  the  child  to  her,  stroking  her 
sun-browned  cheeks.  "What  is  that  for 
out-and-out  magnificence !  What  do  you 
say,  Klara,  my  child,  what  do  you  say  to 
it?" 

Klara  was  looking  about  her  in  ecstasy ; 


I 


DISTANT   FRIENDS    BESTIR   THEMSELVES.     I37 

anything  like  it  she  had  never  known  or 
imagined.  "  Oh,  how  beautiful  it  is  !  Oh, 
how  beautiful  it  is  !  "  she  cried.  "  I  did  not 
suppose  it  would  be  like  this.  O  grand- 
mamma, if  I  could  only  stay  here  always  !  " 

The  Aim  uncle  had  rolled  the  bath-chair 
towards  her,  and  spread  the  shawls  and 
soft  rugs  over  it.  "It  is  better  for  the 
child  to  lie  in  her  own  chair  than  in  the 
litter,"  he  said,  and  without  more  ado 
lifted  her  gently  from  the  straw  litter,  and 
placed  her  comfortably  in  the  bath-chair, 
covering  her  w^ith  rugs  and  tucking  them 
in  about  her  feet,  as  neatly  and  handily  as 
if  his  lifelong  business  had  been  the  care 
of  those  disabled  in  limb.  The  grand- 
mamma looked  on   in  astonishment. 

"  My  dear  uncle,"  she  broke  out,  "  if  I 
knew  where  you  learned  the  care  of  sick 


138  HEIDI. 

people,  I  would  send  all  the  nurses  to 
learn  their  business  at  the  same  place." 

The  uncle  smiled  a  little.  "  It  comes 
more  from  practice  than  from  study,"  he 
said  sadly,  in  spite  of  the  smile.  Before 
his  eyes,  out  of  the  long-vanished  past, 
rose  the  figure  of  a  man  extended  in  a 
chair  like  Klara's,  whose  limbs  were  so 
stiffened  and  crippled  that  he  could  not 
move  a  joint.  It  was  his  captain,  whom 
he  had  found  on  the  battlefield  after  a 
fierce  fight  in  Sicily,  and  whom  he  had 
rescued  and  cared  for  and  tended  until 
death  ended  his  terrible  sufferings.  The 
uncle  felt  that  the  lame  Klara  was  his 
especial  charge,  and  that  he  had  almost  a 
right  to  tend  and  watch  her,  and  minis- 
ter to  her  comfort  as  he  well  knew  how. 

The  sky  lay  blue  and  cloudless  over  the 


DISTANT   FRIENDS   BESTIR   THEMSELVES.     1 39 

nut,  and  over  the  pine-trees,  and  far  away 
ov^er  the  high  chffs  that  rose  in  shimmer- 
ing gray  against  it.  Klara  could  not  look 
about  her  enough  ;  she  was  full  of  ecstasy 
over  everything  that  she  saw. 

"  Oh,  if  I  could  only  run  about  as 
you  do,  Heidi,  round  the  hut  and  under 
the  pines  !  "  she  cried  longingly.  "  If  I 
could  only  go  to  look  at  everything  that 
I  have  heard  so  much  about,  and  never 
seen !  " 

Now  Heidi  made  a  great  and  successful 
effort.  The  chair  rolled  quite  easily  over 
the  short,  smooth  grass,  and  under  the 
pines.  Here  they  stopped.  Never  had 
Klara  seen  such  o-iant  trees  as  these,  whose 
long,  broad  branches  grew  down  quite  to 
the  ground,  each  descendino-  branch  oreater 
and  thicker.     The  orfandmamma,  too,  who 


140  HEIDI. 

had  followed  the  children,  stood  filled  with 
admiration.  She  did  not  know  which  was 
most  beautiful,  the  full,  murmuring  crown, 
high  up  against  the  blue  sky,  or  the 
straight,  firm,  column -like  stems,  that  with 
their  powerful  branches  told  of  the  many 
years  they  had  stood,  looking  down  into 
the  valley,  where  men  came  and  went  and 
where  all  was  change,  while  they  remained 
steadfast. 

Heidi  next  rolled  the  chair  to  the  stalls, 
in  which  certainly  there  was  not  much  to 
be  seen,  for  the  animals  were  away ;  and 
Klara  called  back  :  "  O  grandmamma,  I 
lonof  to  see  Schwanli  and  Barli,  and  all  the 
other  goats,  and  Peter !  I  shall  nevei 
see  them,  if  we  have  to  q-q  down  as  earh 
as  you   said  we  must.      It  is  too  bad." 

"  Dear    child,    enjoy   now    the    pleasure 


DISTANT   FRIENDS    BESTIR   THEMSELVES.     I4I 

you  are  having,  and  don't  think  of  what 
may  escape  you,"  said  the  grandmamma, 
following  the  chair  that  Heidi  was  pushing 
further  and  further. 

"  Oil !  the  flowers  !  "  cried  out  Klara 
again,  "  whole  bushes  of  such  pretty  red 
blossoms,  and  all  the  nodding  bluebells. 
Oh,   if  I   could  get  out  and  pick  them  !  " 

Heidi  darted  to  the  flowers,  and  brought 
back  a  Qfrcat  bunch  of  them.  "  But  that 
is  nothing,"  she  said,  as  she  laid  the  flow- 
ers on  Klara's  lap.  "If  you  go  up  with 
us  once  to  the  pasture,  there  you  will  see 
something!  It  is  all  covered  with  them. 
Red  starthistle,  and  bluebells,  and  thou- 
sands of  bright  yellow  flowers,  that  make 
the  place  shine  as  if  it>  was  pure  gold. 
I\Iy  grandfather  says  that  those  are  called 
sun's  eyes  ;   and  then  there  are  the  brown 


142  HEIDI. 

ones,  with  little  round  heads,  that  smell 
so  good.  If  you  once  sit  down  you  never 
are  willing  to  get  up  again,  it  is  so  beau- 
tiful !  " 

Heidi's  eyes  shone  with  longing  to 
see  again  what  she  was  describing,  while 
Klara's  soft  blue  ones  seemed  kindled 
thereby,  and  beamed  in  full  reflection. 
"  Do  you  believe  that  I  could  get  there, 
grandmamma?"  she  said.  "Can  I  ever 
get  up  so  high  ?  Oh,  if  I  could  only 
walk,  Heidi,  and  so  climb  the  Alp  with 
you,  all  over  it,  everywhere  !  " 

"  I  will  push  you  farther,"  Heidi  thus 
comforted  her,  and  in  her  zeal  gave  the 
chair  such  a  shove  that  away  it  rolled,  and 
might  have  gone  on  down  the  mountain, 
had  not  the  uncle  caught  it  with  his  ready 
hand. 


DISTANT    FRIENDS    BESTIR    THEMSELVES.     1 43 

While  the  Httle  party  was  standing  under 
the  pines  the  host  had  not  been  idle,  but 
had  brouoht  out  table  and  chairs  for  the 
dinner,  set  the  pot  upon  the  fire,  and  got 
ever)thing  in  process  of  cooking.  Soon 
it  was  served,  and  the  company  gathered 
to  the  repast. 

The  dining-room  with  its  azure  ceiling, 
and  the  view  down  into- the  wide-stretching 
valley,  were  much  to  the  grandmamma's 
taste.  A  soft,  cooling  breeze  fanned  their 
cheeks  as  they  took  their  frugal  meal, 
and  made  sweet  music  for  them  in  the 
trees. 

"  I  never  yet  enjoyed  anything  so  much 
as  this.  It  is  a  truly  glorious  scene," 
declared  the  grandmamma.  "  But  what  is 
this,"  she  continued,  "  Klara,  are  you  reall}' 
eating  a  second  bit  of  cheese  ? " 


144  HEIDI. 

In  truth  the  second  piece  of  golden 
cheese  lay  upon  Klara's  plate,  and  she 
bit  into  it  and  the  thick  slice  of  bread  \vith 
real  signs  of  appetite.  "It  tastes  better 
than  everything  put  together  in  Ragatz," 
she  affirmed. 

"  That  is  right,"  cried  the  Aim  uncle, 
well  satisfied.  *'  This  is  the  effect  of  our 
mountain  air;  it  always  helps  out  where 
the  kitchen   is  slender." 

The  gay  little  dinner  went  on  most  hap- 
pily. The  two  elders  understood  each 
other  perfectly,  and  their  talk  became  more 
and  more  lively.  But  after  a  while  the 
grandmamma  crlanced  toward  the  west, 
and  said:  "We  must  soon  be  getting 
ready  to  go  down,  Klara.  The  sun  is 
sinking,  and  the  people  will  be  here  with 
the  horse  and  litter." 


DISTANT   FRIENDS    BESTIR   THEMSELVES      I45 

At  these  words  Klara's  happy  face  be 
came  clouded.  "  Only  one  hour  more, 
dear  grandmamma,  one  hour  or  two  !  We 
have  not  been  into  the  hut  at  all,  nor  seen 
Heidi's  bed.  Oh,  if  only  the  day  was  ten 
hours  longer ! " 

•'  Which  is  not  quite  possible,  you 
know,"  said  the  grandmamma,  but  she 
really  wished  to  see  the  hut  herself.  So 
they  rose  from  table,  and  the  Aim  uncle 
rolled  the  chair  with  firm  hand  toward  the 
door.  It  was  far  too  wide  for  the  narrow 
opening,  but  the  uncle  did  not  long  be- 
think himself.  Lifting  Klara  out,  he  car 
ried  her  into  the  hut  straightway  in  his 
strong  arms. 

Once  within,  the  grandmamma  ran  about 
peeping  into  every  corner,  making  merry 
in  her  lively  way  over  the  housekeeping, 


146  HEIDI. 

which  she  was  obhged  to  say  was  ver}-  neat 
and  well-ordered.  "  \  our  bed  must  be  up 
there,  Heidi?"  she  asked,  and  with  rumble 
feet  climbed  the  little  ladder  to  the  hay- 
loft. "  How  sweet  it  smells  up  here,  it 
must  be  a  very  healthful  bedroom  !  "  and 
she  went  to  the  opening  to  look  through, 
while  the  uncle  came  up  with  Klara  on  his 
arm,  and   Heidi  trotted  alonsf  behind. 

Then  they  all  stood  admiringly  about 
Heidi's  nicely  made  bed,  and  the  grand- 
mamma pensively  inhaled  deep  breaths  of 
the  sweet-scented  air.  Klara  was  quite 
carried  away  by  the  charms  of  Heidi's 
bedroom. 

"  How  nice  it  is  for  you  here,  Heidi  !  " 
she  exclaimed.  "  From  your  bed  you  can 
look  right  into  the  sk)-,  with  the  ha)-  smell- 
ing so  sweet  all  about,  and   the  sound  of 


DISTANT    FRIENDS    BESTIR    THEMSELVES.     I47 

the  wind  in  the  pines.  I  never  heard  of  so 
jolly  and  perfect  a  bedroom." 

The  uncle  looked  significantly  at  the 
grandmamma. 

"  It  seems  to  me,"  he  said,  "  if  the 
grandmamma  is  not  opposed  to  it  and 
will  trust  me,  that  the  little  girl  might  be 
left  here  for  a  while,  and  that  she  would 
gain  strength.  So  man)-  shawls  and  rugs 
of  all  sorts  came  with  her  that  we  can 
arrange  a  quite  comfortable  bed  ;  and  the 
grandmamma  need  have  no  anxiety  as  to 
the  care  that  will  be  taken  of  her,  I  promise 
that." 

The  two  children  screamed  for  joy  like 
two  suddenly  freed  birds,  while  the  grand- 
mamma's face  was  radiant  with  satisfaction. 

"  My  dear  uncle,  you  are  a  charming 
man,"    she   said   with    animation.     "What 


148  HEIDI. 

do  you  suppose  I  was  thinking  of?  I 
have  been  saying  to  myself  all  this  time, 
would  not  it  be  a  good  thing  for  Klara  to 
remain  up  here  for  a  while  ?  Would  not 
it  strengthen  her?  But  then  the  care  for 
the  host,  and  the  nursing  and  tending ! 
and  here  you  propose  it,  as  if  it  were  noth- 
ing at  all !  I  must  thank  you,  my  dear 
uncle,  I  must  thank  you  from  my  heart !  " 
And  the  grandmamma  shook  her  host's 
hand  once  and  again  and  yet  again,  and 
the  uncle  shook  hers  in  return,  his  face 
beaming. 

The  uncle  went  to  work  at  once.  He 
carried  Klara  back  to  her  chair  before  the 
hut,  followed  by  Heidi,  who  could  not 
jump  up  high  enough,  she  was  so  happy. 
Then  he  took  all  the  shawls  and  rugs  on 
his   arm,  saying,  while  he  could  not  help 


DISTANT   FRIENDS   BESTIR   THEMSELVES.    1 49 

laughing:  "It  is  very  fortunate  that  the 
lady  grandmamma  fitted  herself  out  as  if 
she  were  going  on  a  winter  campaign  ;  we 
can  put  them  all  to  good  use." 

"  My  dear  uncle,"  replied  the  visitor 
gayly,  "  prudence  is  a  fine  virtue,  and 
wards  off  many  a  calamity.  If  a  body 
gets  back  from  a  journey  over  your  Alp 
without  having  encountered  storms  and 
wind  and  rainspouts,  he  may  be  grate- 
ful ;  and  so  will  we  be,  and  my  coverings 
are  good  for  something ;  about  that  we 
are  united." 

While  this  little  conversation  was  ofoine 
on,  they  had  both  climbed  up  to  the  hay- 
loft, and  begun  to  spread  the  wraps  over 
the  bed,  one  after  the  oJ:her.  There  went 
so  many  that  it  looked  at  last  like  a  little 
fortress.      "  Now  let  me  see  a  stalk  of  hay 


150  HEIDI, 

Stick  throuoh,  if  it  can,"  said  the  erand- 
mamma,  as  she  passed  her  hand  over 
the  bed  on  every  side  ;  but  the  soft  wall 
was  so  impenetrable  that  truly  not  one 
came  through.  She  went  down  now  to 
the  children,  who  were  sitting  with  beam- 
ing countenances,  making  plans  of  what 
they  would  do  from  morning  to  evening 
all  the  time  they  were  to  be  together.  But 
how  long  would  that  Ije  ?  This  was  the 
question  that  was  instantly  laid  before  the 
grandmamma.  She  said  that  the  grand- 
father knew  best  about  that,  they  must  ask 
him  ;  and  as  he  presently  appeared,  they 
did  ask  him,  and  he  replied  that  four 
weeks  would  be  enough  to  enable  them  to 
judge  if  the  air  of  the  Alp  performed  its 
duty  in  strengthening  Klara,  or  not.  Now 
the  children    rejoiced  with  a  will,  for  the 


DISTANT    FRIENDS    BESTIR    THEMSELVES.     151 

prospect   of   remaining    together    so    long 
surpassed   all    their  expectations. 

At  last  the  litter-bearer  antl  the  horse 
with  its  leader  were  visible,  as  they  came 
toiling-  up  the  winding  mountain  path. 
The  former  was  allowed  to  turn  back 
immediately. 

While  the  grandmamma  was  preparing 
to  mount  her  horse,  Klara  said  gayly  :  "  O 
grandmamma,  this  is  not  at  all  a  parting, 
even  though  you  are  going  away  ;  for 
you  will  come  every  now  and  then  to 
visit  us  on  the  Alp,  to  sec  what  we  are 
about,  and  that  will  be  so  jolly,  won't  it, 
Heidi?" 

Heidi,  who  to-day  had  fallen  from  one 
pleasure  into  another,  -could  onl)"  signify 
her  assent  by  renewed  jum|Mng  up  and 
down. 


152  HEIDI. 

The  uncle  descended  the  mountain  with 
his  guest ;  he  insisted  upon  holding  her 
bridle  rein,  although  she  begged  him  not 
to  take  so  much  trouble,  declaring  that  he 
should  give  her  his  company  as  far  as 
Dorlli,  for  the  Alp  was  steep,  and  the  jour- 
ney not  without  danger. 

Now  that  she  was  alone,  the  grand- 
mamma resolved  not  to  remain  in  Dortli, 
but  to  return  to  Ragatzbad,  and  thence  to 
undertake  from  time  to  time  her  Alpine 
journeys. 

Before  the  uncle  returned,  Peter  came 
down  with  his  ijoats.  As  soon  as  these 
descried  Heidi,  they  ran  towards  her  as 
usual.  In  a  moment  Klara  in  her  chair, 
as  well  as  f  leidi,  was  surrounded  by  the 
Hock,  which  crowded  and  pushed  and 
peeped,   one  goat  over  the   other.     They 


DISTANT   FRIENDS   BESTIR   THEMSELVES.     1 53 

were  quickly  named  by  Heidi,  and  one 
and  all  presented  to  Klara. 

So  it  came  about  that  the  latter  quickly 
learned  to  know  the  pretty  Snowball,  the 
lovely  Thistlebird,  the  grandfather's  well- 
kept  goats,  and  even  the  big  Turk.  Peter, 
meanwhile,  stood  apart,  casting  strangely 
threatening  glances  toward  the  happy  girl. 

When  the  children  at  last  looked  kindly 
towards  him,  calling  out,  "  Good-evening, 
Peter,"  he  made  no  answer,  but  slashed  at 
the  air  with  his  rod  as  if  he  would  cut  it  all 
in  bits.  Then  off  he  ran,  and  his  followers 
at  his  heels. 

But  of  all  the  beautiful  things  that  Klara 
had  that  day  seen  on  the  Alp,  there  came 
now  the  best. 

As  she  lay  in  the  big,  soft  bed,  in 
the    hay-loft,    to   which    Heidi    had    also 


154  HEIDI. 

clambered,  and  looked  through  the  round 
opening  up  into  the  starry  heavens,  then 
she  cried  out  delighted  beyond  measure: 
"  O  Heidi,  look,  it  is  exactly  as  if  we  were 
driving  in  a  high  open  carriage  right 
through  the  sky  !  " 

"  Yes,  and  do  you  know  why  the  stars 
are  so  happy,  and  twinkle  their  e)'es  so  ? " 
asked  Heidi. 

"  No,  I  do  not  know  why.  What  do 
you  mean.  Heidi  ?  " 

"  Because  they  see,  up  there  in  heaven, 
how  the  good  God  provides  ever)'thing 
good  for  his  children,  so  that  they  need 
have  no  anxiety,  and  may  be  quite  sure 
that  everything  that  happens  will  be  for 
the  best.  That  makers  them  happy;  see 
how  they  twinkle,  tliey  want  us  to  be 
happy    too.       But    you    know,    Klara,    we 


DISTANT    FRIENDS    BESTIR    THEMSELVES.     1 55 

must  not  forget  to  pray  to  the  good  God, 
and  beg  him  to  remember  us,  when  he 
provides  for  liis  children,  so  that  we  can 
be  quite  sure  and  need  not  fear  anything." 

Now  the  children  sat  up  in  bed,  and 
said  each  their  evening  prayer.  Heidi 
immediately  put  one  round  arm  under  her 
head,  and  in  a  trice  was  asleep.  Klara, 
however,  lay  awake  for  a  long  time,  for 
such  a  bright,  star-lighted  sleeping-room 
she  had  never  before  seen  in  her  life. 

In  fact,  she  had  scarcely  seen  the  stars 
at  all,  for  she  never  went  out  of  the  house 
in  the  evening-,  and  the  thick  curtains 
within  were  always  closed  long  before  the 
stars  came  out.  So  now  when  she  shut 
her  eyes  she  had  to  t)pen  them  again  at 
once,  to  see  if  really  those  two  wonderfully 
bright  ones  were  still  sparkling,  and  twin- 


156  HEIDI. 

kling  as  Heidi  said  they  did.  And  diey 
were  always  there,  but  Klara  could  not 
look  enoiiofh  at  their  crlcaminr''  licdit,  until 
her  eyes  closed  of  their  own  accord,  and  in 
her  dreams  even  she  saw  yet  the  two  great 
shimmering  stars. 


MORE   ABOUT   THE   LIFE   ON   THE   ALP.      1 57 


CHAPTER   VII. 

MORE  ABOUT  THE  UFE  ON  THE  ALP. 

The  sun  had  just  climbed  over  the  cliffs, 
and  cast  his  first  golden  beams  downward 
toward  the  valley.  The  uncle  stood  quiet, 
reverently  looking  about  him  as  he  did 
every  morning,  and  saw  how  the  silvery 
mist  lying  over  hill  and  vale  gradually 
melted  away,  and  the  world  emerged  from 
the  shadows  of  darkness  as  the  new  day 
awoke. 

Bricrhter  and  brifrhter  became  the  thin 
clouds  of  morn,  until  the  sun  arose,  and 
poured  out  his  golden  beams  over  rock 
and  wood  and  heioht.     At  last  the  uncle 


158  HEIDI. 

went  back  into  the  hut,  and  quletl); 
mounted  the  little  ladder.  Klara  had  just 
opened  her  eyes,  and  was  gazing,  com- 
pletely bewildered,  at  the  bright  sunbeams 
that  streamed  through  the  round  opening, 
and  danced  and  flickered  on  her  bed.  She 
did  not  know  what  she  saw,  nor  where  she 
was.  But  soon  her  eyes  fell  on  the  sleep- 
ing Heidi  by  her  side,  and  the  friendly 
voice  of  the  grandfather  met  her  ear,  say- 
ing, "  Have  you  slept  well  ?  Do  you  feel 
rested  ?  "  Klara  assured  him  that  she  was 
not  at  all  tired,  and  that,  once  asleep, 
she  had  not  awakened  throuo-h  the  nioht. 
This  was  very  satisfactory  to  the  uncle, 
and  he  began  at  once  and  helped  Klara 
to  dress  as  cleverly  and  handil\-  as  if  it 
were  his  callino-  to  be  a  nurse,  and  to  take 
care  of  sick  children. 


MORE    ABOUT    THE    LIFE   ON   THE    ALP.      1 59 

Heidi,  also,  opened  her  eyes,  and  saw 
with  astonishment  what  her  grandfather 
was  about,  and  watched  him  till  he  carried 
Klara,  completely  dressed,  in  his  arms 
down  the  ladder.  She  could  not  wait  a 
moment  longer.  She  rose,  dressed  her- 
•self  with  lightning  speed,  and  ran  dow^n 
the  ladder  and  outside,  to  see  what  next 
her  grandfather  would  be  doing. 

The  evening  before  he  had  pondered, 
when  the  children  had  gone  to  bed,  as  to 
how  he  could  get  the  bath-chair  under 
shelter.  It  could  not  be  pushed  in 
through  the  hut  door,  that  was  too  small. 
At  last  an  idea  came  to  him.  He  took  off 
tw^o  of  the  big  shutters  from  the  shed, 
which  made  an  opening  big  enough  to 
allow  of  the  chair  being  pushed  through 
into  the  workshop ;   then  he  replaced  the 


l60  HEIDI. 

shutters,  without  making  them  fast.  Heidi 
came  down  just  as  her  grandfather,  having 
placed  Klara  in  her  chair,  had  rolled  her 
into  the  sunshine  in  ihe  middle  of  the 
grass-plat.  There  he  left  her,  and  went 
towards  the  goat-stalls.  Heidi  ran  to  her 
friend's  side. 

The  fresh  breeze  of  morning  fanned  the 
children's  faces,  and  the  spicy  perfume  of 
the  pines  was  carried  towards  them  on 
every  breath  of  air.  Klara  was  leaning 
back  in  her  chair,  drawing  in  deep 
draughts  of  the  delicious  fragrance,  and 
feeling  better  than  ever  before  in  her  life. 
In  fact,  she  had  never  yet  breathed  the 
pure  morning  air,  surrounded  by  every- 
thing fresh  and  beautiful  in  nature,  as  she 
now  did.  Then,  too,  the  sweet  clear  sim- 
shine  lay  on  her  hanch,  and  on  the  grass 


MORE   ABOUT   THE    LIFE   ON   THE   ALP.      l6l 

at  her  feet,  with  no  overpowering  heat,  1nit 
with  a  warnitli  lliat  was  dehghtful.  That 
life  on  the  Alp  could  be  like  this,  Klarn 
had  never  been  able  to  imagine. 

"  O  Heidi,  if  I  could  only  live  here 
always,  always  !  "  she  said  at  last,  turning 
about  in  her  chair  from  side  to  side,  and 
drinkincr  in  the  air  and  the  sunshine. 

"  Now  you  see,  don't  you,  that  it  is 
exactly  as  I  told  you  it  was,"  replied  Heidi, 
delighted  ;  "  that  the  very  most  beautiful 
sp'jt  in  the  whole  world  is  at  my  grand- 
father's on  the  Aim  !  " 

At  this  moment  the  grandfather  himself 
came  out  of  the  stalls  towards  the  children, 
bringing  two  mugs  full  of  foaming,  snow- 
white  milk,  one  of  v/hich  he  gave  to  Klara, 
and  the  other  to  Heidi.  "This  will  do  my 
little  friend  a  deal  of  good,"  he  said,  nod- 


l62  HEIDI. 

ding  to  Klara ;  "  it  is  from  Schwanli,  and  is 
strength-giving.  To  your  good  health  : 
Drink  now !  " 

Klara  had  never  tasted  goat's  milk,  and 
she  felt  impelled  to  smell  it  a  little  before 
drinking.  But  when  she  saw  that  Heidi 
drank  hers  eagerly,  without  once  stopping, 
it  tasted  so  very  good  to  her,  Klara  de- 
cided to  try,  and  found  it  as  sweet  and 
spicy  as  if  there  were  sugar  and  nutmeg  in 
it ;  and  she  emptied  her  mug  with  enjoy- 
ment. 

"To-morrow  we  will  take  two,"  said  the 
uncle,  who  had  looked  on  with  satisfaction, 
as  Klara  followed  his  granddaughter's 
good  example. 

Peter  came  at  his  usual  hour  with  the 
flock ;  and  while  Heidi  was  giving  and 
receiving  her  usual  morning  greetings,  and 


MORE   ABOUT  THE   LIFE   ON   THE   ALP.      1 63 

caressing,  and  getting  pushed  about,  the 
uncle  drew  Peter  aside,  out  of  hearing  of 
the  bleatinof  of  the  goats,  which  made  a 
deal  of  noise  w^henever  they  had  Heidi 
to  themselves,  and  -bade  him  give  atten 
tion  to  his  words. 

"  From  to-day  forth  you  are  to  givt 
Schwanli  her  own  way.  She  knows  where 
to  find  the  most  nourishing  herbs  ;  there- 
fore, if  she  wishes  to  climb,  you  are  to  fol- 
low her.  It  will  do  the  others  no  harm, 
and  if  she  chooses  to  go  higher  than  you 
usually  go,  do  not  hold  her  back,  do  you 
understand  ?  Even  if  you  do  have  to 
clamber  a  little,  it  is  no  matter;  you  are 
to  go  where  she  wishes,  for  in  this  she  is 
■'viser  than  you  are,  and  she  must  have  the 
best,  so  that  she  may  give  some  famous 
milk.     Why  are  you  gaping  so  over  there. 


1 64  HEIDI. 

as  if  you  would  like  to  swallow  some  one? 
Nobody  will  interfere  with  you.  Now  off 
with  you,  and  remember!  " 

Peter  was  accustomed  to  obey  the 
uncle's  orders  promptly.  He  took  up  his 
line  of  march  at  once  ;  but  it  looked  as  if 
he  feared  an  ambush  somewhere,  for  he 
continually  turned  his  head  and  rolled  his 
eyes  about.  The  goats  had  managed  to 
push  Heidi  a  little  way  up  the  hill  with 
them.  That  was  what  Peter  wanted. 
"  You  must  come  too,"  he  said,  pressing 
in  among  the  goats,  "  you  must  come  too, 
if  some  one  is  going  to  follow  up 
Schwanli." 

"  No,  I  cannot,"  cried  Heidi,  "  I  cannot 
go  with  you  for  a  long,  long  time,  as  long 
as  Klara  is  with  us.  But  some  time  we  are 
both  going  up,  my  grandfather  has  prom- 
ised that  we  shall." 


MORE   ABOUT   THE    LIFE   OX   THE   ALP.       1 65 

With  these  words,  Heidi  freed  herseU' 
completely  from  the  goats,  and  ran  back  to 
her  friend.  Peter  stood,  making  passes 
with  his  fists  towards  the  bath-chair  and  its 
occupant,  until  the  frightened  goats  fled 
away  past  him.  After  them  he  went  with- 
out stopping,  until  he  was  out  of  sight,  for 
he  feared  that  the  uncle  might  have  seen 
him,  and  he  did  not  care  to  know  what 
sort  of  impression  his  fist  action  had  made 
on  the  uncle. 

Klara  and  Heidi  had  thought  of  so 
much  to  do  to  day  that  they  hardly  knew 
where  to  begin.  Heidi  proposed  first  of 
all.  to  write  to  the  grandmamma  the  daily 
letter  which  she  had  promised  her.  The 
grandmamma  had  not  been  quite  sure 
whether  it  would  agree  with  Klara  on  the 
mountain,    and    whether    it    would    really 


1 66  HEIDI. 

benefit  her  health ;  so  she  had  engaged 
the  children  to  write  to  her  each  day,  and 
to  tell  her  everything  that  happened. 
Thus  she  would  know  immediately  if  she 
were  needed  up  there,  and  could  stay 
quietly  at  Ragatz  in  the  mean  time. 

'*  Must  we  go  into  the  hut  to  write  ? " 
asked  Klara,  who  was  perfectly  willing  to 
send  news  to  her  grandmamma,  but  was 
so  comfortable  in  the  open  air  that  she  did 
not  wish  to  move. 

Heidi  knew  how  to  manage  that.  She 
ran  into  the  hut,  and  brought  out  all  her 
school  materials  for  writing,  together  with 
the  little  three-legged  stool.  She  put  her 
reading-book  and  portfolio  on  Klara's 
knees,  so  that  she  could  write  on  them, 
and  seated  herself  on  the  stool  with  the 
bench    for   a   table ;   and    thus    they   both 


MORE   ABOUT   THE   LIFE   ON   THE   ALP.      1 67 

began  to  write  to  the  grandmamma.  But 
after  every  sentence  that  Klara  wrote,  she 
would  lay  down  her  pencil  and  look  about. 
It  was  too  beautiful.  The  wind  was  no 
longer  so  cool  ;  it  only  softly  fanned  her 
face,  and  whispered  lightly  to  the  pines. 
In  the  pure  air  the  little  merry  midges 
danced  and  hummed,  and  a  great  stillness 
lay  on  all  the  wide  fields.  Calmly  quiet, 
the  great  mountain  peaks  gazed  down  into 
the  vale,  which  was  everywhere  at  peace. 
Only,  at  intervals,  the  joyous  sound  of  a 
jodelling  herdboy's  song  came  through  the 
air,  and  was  echoed  back  from  the  crags. 

The  morning  went  past  the  children 
scarcely  knew  how,  and  the  grandfather 
came  with  the  steaminor  dishes,  and 
brought  the  dinner  out  to  them,  for  he 
said  that  Klara  must  stay  out  of  doors  as 


1 68  HEIDI. 

long  as  a  ray  of  sunshine  remained.  After 
dinner  Heidi  rolled  the  bath-chair  under 
the  pines,  for  the  children  had  arranged 
to  pass  the  afternoon  there  in  the  cool 
shade,  and  to  tell  each  other  everything 
that  had  happened  since  Heidi  left  Frank- 
fort. Under  the  trees  they  sat,  and  the 
faster  they  talked  the  louder  the  little 
birds  sang  above  in  the  branches,  for 
the  chatter  of  the  children  pleased  them, 
and  they  wished  to  join  in.  Thus  the 
day  passed,  and  now  it  was  evening,  and 
the  oroats  came  rattlinp-  down  the  moun- 
tain  path,  the  driver  behind,  with  a  scowl- 
ing brow  and  sullen  mien. 

"  Good-nip-ht,  Peter ! "  said  Heidi,  as 
she  saw  that  he  did   not  mean  to  stop. 

"Good-night,  Peter!"  called  out  Klara 
kindly. 


MORE    ABOUT   THE    LIFE   ON   THE   ALP.      1 69 

He  gave  no  answer,  l)ut  drove  his  goats 
along,  snarling  at  tlieni  as  they  went. 

When  Klara  saw  the  grandfather  driving 
the  pretty  Schwiinh  to  the  stall  to  milk  her, 
she  was  seized  with  such  a  lonirincr  for  the 
spicy  milk,  that  she  could  hardly  wait  until 
it  was  brouorht  to  her.  She  was  aston- 
ished  at  it  herself. 

"This  is  really  strange,  Heidi,"  she  said, 
"  for  as  long  as  I  can  remember  anything, 
I  have  only  eaten  because  I  was  obliged 
to,  and  everything  that  I  got  to  eat  tasted 
of  cod-liver  oil,  and  I  have  thought  a 
thousand  times,  If  only  I  didn't  have  to 
eat !  And  now  I  can  hardly  wait,  until 
the  grandfather  comes  with  the  milk  !  " 

"  Yes,  I  understaird  it  very  well,"  said 
Heidi,  for  she  remembered  the  days  in 
Frankfort  when  everything  seemed  to  stick 


170  HEIDI. 

in  her  throat,  and  she  could  not  swallow  a 
morsel.  Klara  did  not  fairly  understand 
it  yet.  She  had  never  before  passed  an 
entire  day  in  the  open  air,  and  such  a  life- 
giving  air,  moreover,  as  this  mountain 
region  could  boast. 

When  the  Aim  uncle  appeared  with  his 
mug  she  took  it  gratefully,  and  hnished  it 
even  more  quickly  than  Heidi  did  hers. 
"May  I  have  a  little  more?"  she  asked, 
handing  her  mug  back  to  the  grandfather. 
When  he  brouMit  back  the  mucrs  to  the 
children,  there  was  upon  each  a  high  cover, 
which  was  of  another  stuff  from  what  a 
cover  usually  is. 

In  the  afternoon  the  Aim  uncle  had 
taken  a  walk  over  the  green  Maienstiss,  to 
a  mountain  cottage  where  they  made  the 
sweetest,  yellowest  butter,  and  had  brought 


MORE   ABOUT   THE   LIFE   ON   THE   ALP.      I7I 

back  a  nice  round  ball  of  it.  He  had  cut 
two  good  thick  slices  of  bread,  and  spread 
them  well  with  butter.  These  were  for  the 
children's  supper.  They  both  bit  into 
these  slices  so  heartily  that  the  g-randfather 
stopped  to  watch  how  far  it  would  go,  for 
he  was  well  pleased  with  their  appetites. 

When  Klara  went  to  bed  that  night,  she 
did  not  spend  much  time  watching  the 
twinkling  stars,  but  followed  Heidi's  exam- 
ple, and  closed  her  eyes  at  once  ;  and  there 
came  to  her  a  sound,  healthy  sleep,  such 
as  she  had  never  known  before. 

In  this  delightful  manner  the  next  day 
passed,  and  the  next,  and  then  there  came 
a  great  surprise  for  the  children.  Two, 
strong  porters  came  up  the  mountain, 
each  carrying  on  his  basket  a  high  bed, 
ready  made  from  the  factory,  with  a  white 


172  HEIDI. 

coverlet,  clean  and  brand-new.  The  men 
brought,  also,  a  letter  from  the  grand- 
mamma. She  wrote  that  these  beds  were 
for  Heidi  and  Klara ;  that  Heidi  was  to 
take  hers  with  her  in  the  winter  to  Dortli, 
for  that  in  the  future  she  must  sleep  in  a 
proper  bed.  The  other  one  could  stay  on 
the  Aim  for  Klara  when  she  came  again. 
Then  the  good  lady  praised  the  little  girls 
for  their  lon^  letters,  and  encourao-tjd 
them  to  write  every  day,  so  that  she 
should  continue  to  know  all  that  they  did, 
and  how  Klara's  health  improved. 

The  grandfather  went  up-stairs,  removed 
the  covering  from  Heidi's  hay  bed,  and 
spread  the  hay  about  in  the  loft.  Then, 
coming  down,  he  with  the  help  of  the 
men  carried  the  beds  up  to  the  loft.  Then 
he    pushed    them    close    together,   so   thaJ 


MORE    ABOUT   THE    LIFE    ON    THE    AI.P.       I  73 

the  two  pillows  were  opposite  the  round 
hole,  for  he  knew  how  much  pleasure  the 
children  had  in  the  mornin-j;  and  eveninc: 
view  which  this  afforded  them. 

The  deliofht  in  her  new  life  increased 
with  Klara  from  day  to  day,  and  she  coulti 
not  tell   her  crrandmamma  enouorh  of  the 

o  o 

uncle's  goodness  and  care  for  her,  and  how 
lively  and  amusing  Ileidi  was,  far  more  so 
than  in  Frankfort,  and  how  every  moridng 
when  she  awoke  her  first  thought  was, 
"  Thank  Heaven,  I  am  still  on  the  Alp !  " 

So  the  grandmamma  rt^joiced  much  that 
things  were  going  on  so  well,  and  decided 
to  postpone  her  visit  to  the  Aim  a  while 
longer,  for  in  truth  the  steep  mountain 
ride  was  rather  a  trial  to  her.  The  grand- 
father certainly  took  an  extraordinary  in- 
terest in  his  little  charge,  for  no  day  passed 


174  HEIDI. 

that  he  did  not  think  out  something  that 
he  knew  would  strengthen  her.  He  made, 
every  afternoon,  long  excursions  amongst 
the  rocks,  going  higher  and  higher,  and 
brought  back  each  time  a  bundle  of  sweet- 
scented  herbs,  so  that  the  perfume  of  the 
thyme  and  wild  pink  filled  the  air,  and  at 
night  all  the  goats  ran  smelling  towards 
the  stalls,  where  the  sweet  bundle  lay. 
But  the  uncle  took  the  precaution  to  shut 
the  door,  for  he  had  not  climbed  up  over 
the  high  rocks  for  these  rare  herbs,  in 
order  that  the  flock  generally  should  have 
a  meal,  without  the  trouble  of  getting  it 
for  themselves.  The  forage  was  all  in- 
tended for  Schwanli,  so  that  she  might 
give  strengthening  milk  ;  and  it  was  easy 
to  see  that  this  unusual  care  ajjreed  with 
her,  for  she  tossed  her  head  higher  every 
day,  and  rolled  her  eyes  right  proudly. 


I 


MORE   ABOUT  THE   LIFE   ON    THE   ALP.      1 75 

It  was  now  the  third  week  that  Klara 
had  passed  on  the  Alp.  For  several 
mornincrs,  when  the  uncle  broug-ht  her 
down  to  place  her  in  her  chair,  he  had 
said,  "  Won't  this  little  daughter  try  once 
to  stand  up  just  for  a  moment?"  Klara 
did  tr)',  to  please  him,  but  she  always  said 
immediately,  "  Oh,  it  hurts  me  so  !  "  and 
clung  to  him  for  support ;  but  every  day 
he  coaxed  her  to  try  a  little  longer. 

For  years  there  had  not  been  such  a 
lovely  summer  on  the  Aim.  Every  day 
the  sun  moved  through  the  cloudless 
heavens,  and  every  little  flower  opened 
its  petals  as  wide  as  possible,  and  glowed 
and  sent  its  perfume  up  towards  him, 
and  every  evening  "he  threw  his  pur- 
ple and  rosy  light  ox-er  the  rocky  pin- 
nacles   and    on    the     sr.ow-field    opposite^, 


170  HEIDI. 

and  then  plunored  into  a  flaming  sea  ol 
gold.  Heidi  told  her  friend  over  and  over 
about  all  this,  for  only  above  in  the  pas- 
ture was  it  rightly  to  be  seen,  and  she 
told  her  with  especial  enthusiasm  how  up 
there,  over  the  great  slopes,  troops  of 
shining  golden  heather-roses  bloomed,  and 
so  many  bluebells  that  it  seemed  as  if  the 
grass  had  grown  blue,  and  near  them  whole 
bushes  of  brown  flowers  that  smelled  so 
sweet  that  it  seemed  as  if  one  could  never 
get  away  when  once  one  had  sat  down  to 
enjoy  them. 

On  one  special  occasion,  sitting  under 
the  pines,  Heidi  had  been  prattling  about 
the  flowers,  and  the  sunset,  and  the  shining 
rocks,  and  it  caused  such  a  longing  in  her 
own  breast  to  see  them  that  she  suddenly 
jumped    up    and    ran    to    her  grandfather 


I 


MORE   ABOUT   THE   LIFE   ON   THE   ALP.      1 77 

in  the  shop,  who  was  sitting  at  his  work- 
bench. "O  grandfather!"  she  cried  out 
before  she  reached  him,  "  cannot  we  go 
to-morrow  to  the  pasture  ?  It  is  so  beau- 
tiful up  there  now  !  " 

"  Yes,  we  will,"  said  he  assentingly, 
"  but  then  the  little  dauorhter  must  do 
me  a  favor ;  she  must  try  standing  up 
alone  for  me  this  evening." 

Heidi  came  back  to  Klara  exulting  over 
this  good  news,  and  the  latter  promised, 
at  once,  to  try  to  stand  on  her  feet  as 
often  as  the  uncle  wished,  for  she  was 
overjoyed  at  the  thought  of  this  trip  to 
the  beautiful  goat-pasture.  Heidi  was  so 
excited  that  she  screamed  out  to  Peter, 
as  soon  as  she  saw  him  coming  down, 
"  Peter !  Peter !  to-morrow  we  are  going 
with  you,  and  shall  stay  all  day." 


178  HEIDI. 

For  reply,  Peter  growled  like  an  irritrited 
bear,  and  struck  angrily  at  the  innocent 
ThistleL'rd,  which  was  trotting  by  his  side  ; 
fortunately  she  knew  what  was  coming  in 
time,  and  jumped  away. 

To-niofht  the  little  Q-[r\s  climbed  into  the 
beautiful  high  beds,  with  their  heads  so 
full  of  plans  for  the  pleasure  of  the  com- 
ing day,  that  they  promised  each  other  to 
lie  awake  all  night  to  talk  about  it,  till 
it  was  time  to  get  up.  They  had  scarcely 
laid  their  heads  on  their  pillows  however, 
when  their  chatter  ceased  suddenly,  and 
Klara  saw  a  big,  big  field  before  her  in  a 
dream,  that  was  heavenly  blue,  so  thickly 
did  the  bluebells  cover  it  ;  and  Heidi 
seemed  to  hear  the  eagle  calling  from  on 
high,  "  Come  !  come  !  come  !  " 


SOMETHING    IIAITENS.  1 79 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

SOMETHING    HAPPENS  THAT  NO  ONE  EXPECTED. 

Very  early  the  next  morning  the  uncle 
stood  for  a  while  before  his  hut,  and  looked 
about,  to  see  what  the  day  would  be.  A 
reddish  golden  glow  lay  on  the  highest 
peaks,  a  fresh  wind  began  to  move  the 
branches  of  the  pines  ;  the  sun  was  about 
to  rise.  He  watched  how  upon  the  high 
mountain- tops  the  green  ridges  began  to 
turn  golden,  and  how  the  shadows  in  the 
valley  gradually  grew  less  deep,  until  the 
rosy  light  poured"  down  upon  them,  and 
height  and  depth  were  flooded  with  gold- 
The  sun  had  risen. 


l&O  HEIDI. 

Now  the  uncle  brought  the  bath-chair 
out  of  the  shop,  placed  it  ready  for  the 
journey  before  the  hut,  then  went  up  to 
the  loft  to  wake  the  little  girls. 

Just  at  this  moment  Peter  came  climbing 
up.  His  goats  no  longer  ran  confidently, 
as  was  their  habit,  by  his  side,  round  and 
about  him  up  the  mountain  ;  for  Peter  now 
continually  thrashed  right  and  left  with  his 
rod  like  a  crazy  creature,  and  where  he  hit, 
it  hurt.  The  lad  had  reached  the  hicrhest 
pitch  of  bitterness  and  anger.  For  weeks, 
he  had  not  once  had  Heidi  to  himself, 
as  he  used  to  have  her.  When  he  came 
up  in  the  morning,  no  matter  how  early, 
the  stranger  child  was  always  there  in  her 
chair,  and  Heidi  had  no  eyes  but  for  her. 
When  he  came  down  in  the  evening,  there 
stood  the  chair  under  the  pine-trees,  and 


SOMETHING   HAPPENS.  l8l 

Heidi  had  no  word  for  him.  She  had 
never  been  once  to  the  pasture  with  him 
through  all  the  long  summer,  and  now, 
to-da)',  she  was  coming,  but  the  chair  and 
the  stranijfe  crifl  were  cominor  too,  and  what 
good  would  that  do  him  ? 

Peter  knew  how  it  would  be,  and  this 
was  what  had  brought  his  inward  fury  to 
the  highest  pitch.  His  eyes  fell  on  the 
chair,  which  was  standing  so  proudly  on 
its  rollers,  and  seemed  to  stare  at  him  like 
an  enemy,  an  enemy  that  had  already  done 
him  so  much  harm,  and  to-day  would  do 
still  more.  Peter  looked  about  ;  every- 
thing was  quiet,  nobody  in  sight.  Like  a 
wild  creature  he  threw  himself  upon  the 
chair,  seized  hold  of  it,  and  gave  it  a 
mighty  shove  towards  the  steepest  part 
of  the  decline.  Away  flew  the  chair,  and 
instantly  disappeared. 


152  HEIDI. 

Peter  rushed  up  the  Aim  as  If  he  had 
suddenly  become  winged,  not  stopping 
once  until  he  reached  a  big  blackberry- 
bush,  behind  which  he  concealed  himself; 
for  he  had  no  desire  for  the  uncle  to  catch 
sight  of  him.  He  was  anxious  to  see 
what  would  become  of  the  chair,  never- 
theless, a'ld  tliis  bush  was  placed  most 
conveni'jnll)'  on  the  edge  of  a  spur. 
Here,  half  hidden,  he  could  look  down 
the  Aim,  and  if  the  uncle  appeared,  could 
conceal  himself  in  a  trice.  What  a  won- 
derful thing  met  his  view  !  Far  below  him 
his  enemy  was  plunging  down,  as  if  driven 
by  an  ever  increasing  power.  Now  it 
turned  over  and  over,  then  made  a  bigf 
leap,  then  threw  itself  down  again  on  the 
earth,  and  rushed  to  its  ruin.  The  bits 
flew  in  every  direction,  feet,  arms,  cush- 
ions, everything  was  thrown  into  the  air. 


SOMETIIINC.    IIAF'PENS.  183 

Peter  felt  such  an  unbounded  joy  at  the 
sight,  that  he  jumped  up  with  both  feet 
together;  he  laughed  aloud,  he  stamped 
for  joy.  he  leaped  about  in  a  circle,  he  ran 
to  the  same  place  again  and  looked  down, 
broke  out  into  laughter  ao^ain,  and  asrain 
leaped  about.  Peter  was  really  quite 
beside  himself  with  delight  at  the  over 
throw  of  his  enemy,  for  he  saw  all  sorts 
of  pleasure  that  would  follow  for  him. 
Now  surely  the  stranger  would  be  obliged 
to  go-  away,  because  she  w'ould  have  no 
means  of  moving-  about.  Heidi  would 
again  be  alone,  and  would  come  with  him 
to  the  pasture,  and  be  at  his  call  mornings 
and  evenings,  and  everything  would  be 
back  in  the  old  order.  But  Peter  did  not 
bethink  himself  of  what  it  is  to  do  a  bad 
deed,  and  of  what  follows. 


184  HEIDI. 

Just  then  Heidi  came  running  out  of  the 
house  towards  the  workshop.  Behind  her 
was  the  grandfather  with  Klara  in  his  arms. 
The  workshop  door  stood  wide  open,  the 
two  shutters  were  standing  against  the  side 
of  the  buildine.  all  within  was  briorht  as 
day.  Heidi  looked  here  and  there,  ran 
round  the  corner,  came  back  again,  her 
face  betokening  the  greatest  astonishment. 
At  the  moment  her  grandfather  joined  her. 
"  What  does  this  mean  ?  have  you  rolled 
the  chair  away,  Heidi  ?  "  asked  he. 

"  I  am  looking  for  it,  grandfather,  and 
you  told  me  that  it  stood  near  the  work- 
shop door,"  said  the  little  girl,  casting  her 
eyes  about  everywhere. 

The  wind  had  in  the  mean  while  grown 
stronger ;  it  clattered  at  the  workshop 
door,  and    threw  it  slamming  against  the 


SOMETHING   HAPPENS.  I85 

wall.  "  Grandfather,  the  wind  has  done 
it,"  said  Heidi,  and  her  eyes  grew  big  at 
the  discovery.  "Oh,  dear!  if  it  has  rolled 
down  to  Dijrrti,  we  cannot  oret  it  back  until 
it  is  too  late  for  us  to  o-o." 

"If  it  has  rolled  down,  it  won't  come 
back  at  all,  for  it  has  been  broken  into  a 
hundred  bits,"  said  the  grandfather,  coming 
round  the  corner  to  look  down  the  moun- 
tain. "  But  'tis  strange  that  it  should  have 
gone  down,"  he  added,  as  he  looked  back, 
and  remembered  that  the  chair  would  have 
had  to  go  round  the  corner  of  the  hut, 
before  startinof  down  the  mountain. 

"Oh,  what  a  pity!  now  we  cannot  go 
to  -  day,  and  perhaps  nev^er,"  lamented 
Klara  ;  "now  I  shall  certainly  have  to  go 
home,  for  I  have  no  chair.  Oh,  what  a 
pity  !   it  is  too  bad  !  " 


1 86  HEIDI. 

But  Heidi  looked  up  in  perfect  confix 
dence  at  her  grandfather,  and  said  :  "  You 
can  find  some  way  for  us  to  p;c  up  to  the 
pasture,  and  to  keep  Klara  here  toe  can't 
you,  grandfather  ?  " 

"  We  will  go  up  to  the  pasture,  as  we 
intended  to,"  said  the  Aim  uncle,  "  and  see 
what  will  happen  next." 

He  went  into  the  hut,  brought  out  a 
pile  of  shawls,  put  Klara  on  them  upon 
the  sunny  grass.  Then  he  went  to  fetch 
for  the  children  their  morning-'s  milk,  and 
to  bring  Schwanli  and  Barli  from  their 
stalls 

"  I  wonder  why  the  others  have  not 
come  up  yet,"  said  the  uncle  to  himself, 
for  Peter's  whistle  had  not  yet  been  heard. 

Then,  takingr  Klara  on  one  arm  and  the 
wraps    on    the    other,     "  There    now,    for- 


SOMETHTNG    HAPl'ENS.  1 87 

wards!"  he  said,  going"  on  in  front,  "  the 
goats  can  come  with  us." 

Heidi  Hked  this.  One  arm  round 
Schwknli's  neck  and  the  other  round  Bar- 
li's.  shfc  strolled  along  behind  her  grand- 
father ;  and  the  goats  were  so  happy  to  be 
climbing  the  mountain  again  with  Heidi 
that  they  almost  squeezed  her  together 
between  them  from  pure  tenderness. 

Arrived  at  the  pasture,  the  little  party 
saw  the  goats  eatmg  on  the  slopes  in  little 
groups,  and  Peter  lying  at  full  length  on 
the  ofrass. 

"  Another  time  I  will  teach  you  to  go  by 
without  stopping,  lazy  bones  ;  what  do  you 
mean  ?  "  said  the  Aim  uncle. 

Peter  sprang  to  his  feet  at  the  sound 
of  the  Aim  uncle's  well-known  voicCc 
"  Nobody  was  up,"  he  answered. 


155  HEIDI. 

"  Did  you  see  anything  of  the  chair  ? " 
resumed  the  uncle. 

"Which  one?"  returned  Peter  crossly. 

The  uncle  made  no  reply.  He  spread 
out  the  shawls  on  the  sunny  slope,  and  set 
Klara  down,  asking  her  if  she  were  com- 
fortable. 

*'  Just  as  comfortable  as  if  I  was  in  the 
chair,"  said  she,  thanking  him,  "  and  I  am 
in  the--very  nicest  place.  It  is  beautiful, 
perfectly  beautiful.  Heidi,"  cried  she,  look- 
ing all  about. 

The  grandfather  was  preparing  to  go 
back.  He  bade  them  enjoy  themselves 
together,  and  when  it  was  time,  Heidi 
was  to  fetch  the  dinner  from  the  satchel 
that  he  had  put  yonder  in  the  shade. 
Peter  was  to  get  their  milk,  but  Heidi 
must  make  sure  that  it  was  brought  from 


SOMETHING    HAPPENS.  189 

Schwanli.  Towards  evening  the  orrand- 
father  said  he  would  return,  but  first  of  all 
he  must  go  to  see  what  had  become  of  the 
chair. 

The  sky  was  deep  blue,  no  cloud  was 
to  be  seen  in  any  direction.  The  great 
snow -field  opposite  glistened  as  if  with 
thousands  of  trold  and  silver  stars.  The 
gray  pillars  of  rock  stood  high  and  firm, 
as  from  ancient  time,  in  their  place,  and 
looked  sternly  down  into  the  valley.  The 
big  eagle  balanced  himself  in  the  azure, 
and  over  the  heisfhts  the  mountain  wind 
blew  cool  upon  the  sunny  Alp.  The  chil- 
dren were  unspeakably  happy.  Now  and 
then  a  goat  came  and  lay  down  a  little 
while  by  their  side.  The  tender  Snowball 
came  most  often,  and  laid  her  head  ao^ainst 
Heidi,  and  would  scarcely  have  gone  away, 


igO  HEIDI. 

had  not  one  or  another  of  the  herd  driven 
her.  Thus  Klara  learned  to  know  them 
apart,  so  that  she  was  no  longer  Hkely  to 
mistake  one  for  another  ;  for  each  one  had 
an  entirely  different  face,  and  its  own 
manner.  They  were  now  so  well  ac- 
quainted with  Klara  that  they  would  rub 
their  heads  against  her  shoulder,  which 
was  their  surest  sign  of  confidence. 

Thus  the  hours  passed  by ;  then  it  came 
into  Heidi's  head  that  she  could  just  go 
over  to  the  place  where  all  the  flowers 
were,  to  see  if  they  were  open,  and  as 
iovely  as  the  year  before.  If  they  waited 
until  the  grandfather  came  up  in  the  even- 
ing, she  was  afraid  that  they  would  be 
closed.  The  desire  grew  so  strong  in 
Heidi  that  she  could  no  longer  resist  it. 

A  little  doubtfully  she  asked  :    "  Won't 


SOMETHING   HAPPENS.  I9I 

you  be  angry,  Klara.  If  I  run  ofl  for  a 
while  and  leave  you  alone  ?  I  should  like 
so  much  to  see  how  the  flowers  look  ;  but 
wait  a  moment !  "  An  idea  liad  occurred 
to  Heidi  ;  she  sprang  aside,  and  tore  off 
a  pair  of  fine  branches  from  the  green 
bushes.  Then  she  took  Snowball  by  the 
neck,  and  led  her  to  Klara's  side. 

"There,  you  will  not  be  alone  now," 
said  Heidi,  and  gave  Snowball  a  little 
push,  which  the  pretty  creature  understood 
and  lay  down.  Then  Heidi  threw  the 
branches  into  Klara's  lap,  and  the  latter 
said  that  she  did  not  mind  being  left  alone 
with  the  goats  ;  it  was  something  that  had 
never  happened  to  her  before. 

So  Heidi  ran^  off,  and  Klara  began  to 
feed  Snowball,  (rivinof  her  leaf  by  leaf  to 
eat  from  her  branch  ;  and  the  goat  became 


192  IIEIPT. 

quite  tame,  and  drew  the  leaves  slowly 
one  by  one  from  her  hand.  It  was  easy 
to  see  that  she  was  happy  there,  for  she 
did  not  make  any  motion  to  go  away, 
though  she  was  constantly  stirred  up  by 
the  big  Turk.  It  seemed  delightful  to 
Klara  to  be  sitting  here  alone,  with  this 
gentle  goat  that  looked  up  at  her  as  if  she 
wished  for  protection ;  and  a  greater  desire 
arose  in  the  girl's  heart  than  she  had  ever 
yet  experienced,  to  be  for  once  mistress 
of  herself,  and  to  be  able  to  help  others, 
and  not  always  be  waited  on  and  tended. 
And  many  thoughts  came  into  IsJara's 
mind  that  she  had  never  known  before, 
and  an  unknown  longing  to  live  always  in 
the  beautiful  sunshine,  and  to  do  some- 
thing that  would  give  pleasure  to  others 
as  Snowball  was  now  giving  her  pleasure. 


SOMETHING    HAPPENS.  I93 

A  wonderful  happiness  filled  her  heart,  as 
if  everything  that  she  knew  and  could  do 
were  different  from  what  it  had  ever  been 
before  and  more  beautiful  ;  and  she  felt  so 
brave  and  so  well  that  she  had  to  catch 
the  little  goat  about  the  neck  and  cry  out  : 
"  O  Snowball,  how  beautiful  it  is  up  here ! 
if  I  could  only  stay  here  always  with  you  !  " 
In  the  mean  while  Heidi  had  reached 
the  flower-plat.  She  gave  a  cry  of  joy. 
The  whole  place  was  covered  as  with  glis- 
tening gold.  Here  were  the  shining 
buttercups  ;  thick  clumps  of  bluebells 
rocked  to  and  fro,  and  a  strong  spicy  odor 
was  wafted  over  the  sunny  hillside,  as  if 
precious  balsams  were  being  spread 
abroad.  The  -  sweetest  perfume  came, 
however,  from  the  little  brown  flowers 
Heidi  so  loved,  which  showed  their  round 


194  HEIDI. 

heads  here  and  there  between  the  upraised 
chalices  of  gold.  Heidi  stood  still  and 
gazed,  and  drew  in  the  sweet  air  in  long 
inspirations.  Suddenly  she  turned,  and 
out  of  breath  from  excitement  reached  at 
length  the  place  where  Klara  sat. 

"  Oh,  you  must  certainly  come,"  she 
cried  out,  "  they  are  so  beautiful,  and 
everything  is  so  beautiful,  and  they  will 
close  perhaps  in  the  evening.  Don't  you 
think  that  perhaps  I  can  carry  you  ?  " 

Klara  stared  at  the  excited  Heidi  with 
astonishment ;  but  she  shook  her  head. 

"  No,  no  ;  what  are  you  thinking  of, 
Heidi  ?  You  are  much  smaller  than  I  am. 
Oh,  how  I  wish  I  could  walk !  " 

Heidi  looked  searchingly  around  ;  a 
new  idea  had  come  to  her.  Over  yonder, 
where  Peter  had  been  lying  on  the  ground. 


SOMETHING   HAPPENS.  I  95 

he  was  sitting  now  and  staring  at  the  chil- 
dren. He  had  been  sitting  there  for 
hours  staring  at  them,  as  if  he  could  not 
rightly  understand  what  he  was  looking  at. 
He  had  destro)ed  the  chair  that  ev^ery- 
thine  miofht  come  to  a  standstill,  and  the 
stranger  no  more  be  able  to  stir ;  and  a 
short  time  /terwards  there  she  came,  and 
was  sitting  on  the  ground  cy  Heidi's  side. 
It  could  iD'c  je,  2.'ud  yet  it  was :  he  ^culd 
see  that  whenever  nz  wishcc. 

Now  Heidi   called   ou::    :c    niir.    raying 
"  Com3  J  own  here,  Peter!"  and  her  voici 
soundad  very  decided. 

'    yi/on't  come,"  he  said  in  reply. 

/es,  you  must.     Come,  I  cannot  do  i 
alone,  you    rust  help  mc       Come  r-uich 
urged  Heidi. 

**  Won't  come/'  znec  ne  ap'Si.'' 


196  HEIDI. 

At  this  Heidi  ran  down  the  mountain  a 
little  way  towards  the  lad.  She  stood 
there  with  flaming  eyes,  and  cried  out  : 
"  Peter,  if  you  do  not  come  this  instant,  I 
will  do  something  to  you  that  you  will  not 
like.     You  may  believe  it !  " 

These  words  were  a  sharp  thrust  for 
Peter,  and  he  was  seized  with  dire  anxiety. 
He  had  done  something  wrong,  which  he 
thought  nobody  knew  of.  He  had  been 
delighted  with  his  deed  up  to  this  mo- 
ment ;  but  now  Heidi  was  talking  as  if  she 
knew  all  about  it,  and  was  going  to  tell 
her  grandfather,  and  Peter  was  dreadfully 
afraid  of  that  person.  If  he  should  learn 
what  had  become  of  the  chair !  Peter  was 
becoming  more  and  more  uneasy.  He 
rose,  and  went  towards   Heidi, 

"  I  am  coming,  but  then  you  must  not 


SOMETHING    HAPPENS.  I97 

do  it,"  he  said,  so  tamed  with  fear  that 
Heidi  took  pity  on  him. 

"  No,  no  ;  now  I  will  not,"  she  replied, 
"  Come  with  me  ;  it  isn't  anything  to  be 
afraid  of,  what  I  want  you  to  do." 

When  they  reached  Klara,  Heidi  di- 
rected that  Peter  should  take  her  firmly  by 
one  arm,  while  she  herself  held  her  by  the 
other,  and  that  thus  they  should  lift  her 
up.  This  succeeded  pretty  well,  but  now 
came  the  most  difficult  part.  Klara  could 
not  stand  alone  ;  how  was  it  possible  to 
hold  her  up  and  bring  her  forwards  at  the 
same  time  ?  Heidi  was  too  small  to  sup- 
port her  with  her  arm. 

"  You  must  take  me  round  the  neck, 
quite  fast,  so ;  and  then  you  must  take 
Peter's  arm  and  cling  fast  to  that.  Then 
we  can  carry  you." 


198  HEIDI. 

Now  Peter  had  never  given  any  one  his 
arm    before.     Klara   took   hold   of   it  well 
^enough,  but  Peter  held  it  stiffly,  hanging 
down  by  his  side. 

"That  is  not  the  way  to  do,  Peter,"  said 
Heidi  very  decidedly.  "  You  must  make 
a  ring  with  your  arm,  and  then  Klara  can 
put  hers  through  it.  She  must  hang  on  to 
it  fast,  and  you  must  on  no  account  give 
way  ;  then  we  sball  gret  on  nicely." 

They  dia  not  get  forward  very  rapidly, 
however.  Klara  was  not  very  light,  and 
the  pair  was  no.  wek  matched ;  on  one 
side  it  went  up  and  on  the  other  down, 
which  caused  a  decided  uncertainty  in  the 
support. 

Occasionally  Klara  trccl  to  move  a  litth 
iipon  her  ov/n  fjci,  but  c  rev/  them  quickly 
lip  again. 


SOMETHING    HAPPENS.  I  99 

"Just  put  your  foot  straight  down  once," 
urged  Heidi  ;  "  afterwards  it  won't  hurt 
you  so  much." 

"Do  you  think  so?"  asked  Klara  doubt- 
fully. She  obeyed,  however,  and  ventured 
one  firm  step  on  the  ground  and  then 
another,  crying  out  a  little  at  each.  Then 
she  raised  her  foot  again,  and  set  it  down 
more  gently.  "  Oh,  that  did  not  hurt  me 
nearly  so  much,"  said  she,  delighted. 

"  Do  it  again,"  said  Heidi  earnestly. 

Klara  did  it  again,  and  still  again,  and 
presently  she  cried  out:  "I  can,  Heidi!  I 
can  !  Look  !  look  !  I  can  take  steps  one 
after  the  other." 

Heidi  literally  screamed  for  joy. 

"  Oh,  oh  !  Can  you  really  take  steps? 
Can  you  walk  ?  Can  you  really  walk  ? 
Oh,  if  my  grandfather  could  only  see  you  I 


2CX>  HEIDI. 

Now  you  can  walk,  Klara,  now  you  can 
walk !  "  she  exclaimed  again  and  again  in 
her  delight. 

Klara  held  tight  to  her  two  supporters ; 
but  at  every  step  she  became  somewhat 
firmer,  they  all  three  felt  sure  of  that. 
Heidi  was  beside  herself  for  joy. 

"  Now  we  can  go  together  every  day  to 
the  pasture,  and  all  about  the  Alp,  where- 
ever  we  wish,"  she  said.  "  And  you  can 
walk  all  your  life,  as  well  as  I  can,  and 
need  not  be  pushed  about  in  your  chair, 
and  will  be  well.  Oh,  this  is  the  very 
greatest  pleasure  that  we  could  have !  " 

Klara  agreed  with  all  her  heart.  Cer- 
tainly there  could  be  no  greater  happiness 
in  the  world  than  to  feel  strong,  and  able 
to  go  about  like  other  people,  and  not  lie 
suffering  all  day  long  in  a  sick-chair. 


SOMETHING    IIATPENS.  20  I 

It  was  not  very  far  over  to  the  flower- 
field.  They  could  already  see  the  glisten- 
ing of  the  buttercups  in  the  sun.  Now 
they  had  reached  the  clumps  of  bluebells, 
between  which  the  sunny  grass  looked  so 
inviting. 

"  Mightn't  we  sit  down  here  ?  "  asked 
Klara. 

That  was  just  what  Heidi  liked,  and 
down  in  the  midst  of  the  flowers  the  chil- 
dren seated  themselves.  For  the  hrst  time 
in  her  life  Klara  was  seated  on  the  dry, 
warm  grass.  All  about  her  were  the 
swaying  bluebells,  the  shining  buttercups, 
the  red  centaury,  the  spicy  prune-flowers. 
Everything  was  beautiful,  so  beautiful ! 

The  children  sat  still  for  a  long  time, 
rejoicing  in  the  new  happiness  that  had 
^o^e  to  them,  which   with    the   sunshine, 


202  HEIDI. 

and  the  perfumes  of  the  flowers,  seemed 
to  fill  their  hearts  almost  to  overflowing. 
Peter,  too,  lay  still  and  motionless  in  the 
bed  of  flowers ;  he  had  fallen  fast  asleep. 

Softly,  gently,  came  the  breeze  to  them, 
sheltered  as  they  were  by  the  huge  rocks, 
and  paused,  sighing,  through  the  shrubs. 
Now  and  then  Heidi  rose  and  ran  about 
on  either  side,  for  ever)^vhere  it  seemed 
more  beautiful,  the  flowers  thicker,  the 
sweet  scents  more  delicate,  as  the  wind 
wafted  them  hither  and  thither.  She 
could  not  be  content,  without  trying  each 
favorite  resting-place. 

Thus  the  hours  passed  by,  and  the  sun 
had  long  passed  the  meridian,  when  a  little 
troop  of  goats  came  very  solemnly  towards 
the  flower-covered  slope  where  were  the 
children.     This  was  not  a  usual   feeding- 


SOMETHING   HAPPENS.  203 

place  ■  they  were  never  driven  to  this  spot, 
for  they  did  not  Yike  to  graze  in  the 
flowers.  They  looked  like  an  embassy, 
with  Thistlebird  at  the  head.  Undoubt- 
edly the  goats  had  gone  forth  to  find  their 
companions,  who  had  left  them  alone  so 
long;  for  goats  keep  very  good  account 
of  time.  When  Thistlebird  discov^ered  the 
three  missing  ones  in  the  middle  of  the 
flowery  slope,  he  gave  utterance  to  a  loud 
bleat,  in  which  the  others  joined  in  chorus, 
and  the  whole  flock  came  trotting  towards 
them.  This  awakened  Peter.  He  sat  up 
and  ruljbed  his  eyes  ver)'  hard  for  a  mo- 
ment ;  for  he  had  dreamed  that  he  saw  the 
bath-chair  standing  before  the  hut  door,  all 
unharmed  with  its  red  covering,  and  in 
waking  had  thought  the  buttercups  were 
the  yellow  nails  of  the  unfortunate  chair 


204  HEIDI. 

Now  his  anxiety  came  back  to  him  ;  for 
although  Heidi  had  promised  not  to  do 
anything  to  him,  yet  the  fear  of  discovery 
had  grown  very  hvely  within  him.  He 
felt  quite  tame,  and  willing  to  do  as  he 
was  bid,  and  to  obey  in  everything  exactly 
as  Heidi  should  direct. 

When  they  got  back  to  the  pasture 
again,  Heidi  hastened  to  get  the  lunch- 
bag  and  to  keep  her  promise  faithfully;  for 
it  was  in  reference  to  the  midday  meal  that 
she  had  threatei-ed  Peter  with  punishment. 
She  had  noticed  in  the  morning  how  many 
good  things  he  '  grandfather  had  placed 
in  the  bag,  and  she  had  rejoiced  before- 
hand at  the  t\v  jght  of  how  Peter  would 
like  getting  h»s  share  of  them.  When, 
therefore.  \>7  tvas  so  obstinate  and  dis- 
obliging  TiN    t   helping    Klara,    she    gave 


SOMETHING   HAPPENS.  2O5 

him  to  understand,  or  meant  to  do  so,  that 
she  would  not  give  him  anything  to  eat, 
though  Peter  had  interpreted  her  words 
very  differently.  Now  the  little  girl  took 
piece  after  piece  from  the  bag,  and  made 
three  piles  of  them,  which  were  so  high 
that  she  said  to  herself  with  satisfaction, 
"He  shall  have  everything  that  we  do  not 
need." 

Taking  each  portion  to  its  owner,  she 
seated  herself  by  Klara's  side,  and  the  chil- 
dren enjoyed  their  dinner  thoroughly  after 
their  unwonted  exertions.  And  it  hap- 
pened just  as  Heidi  had  foreseen  ;  when 
Klara  and  herself  had  eaten  all  they  possi- 
bly could,  there  still  remained  so  much 
untasted  that  Peter  received  a  share  quite 
as  large  as  the  third  he  had  had  in  the 
beginning.      He    ate    quietly    everything 


206  HEIDI. 

that  came  to  him,  even  to  the  last  crumb, 
but  not  with  his  usual  appetite.  For 
something  seemed  to  lie  heavy  at  his 
stomach  that  choked  him,  and  made  his 
food  stick  in  his  throat. 

The  children  had  taken  their  dinner  so 
late,  that  soon  after  they  had  finished  eat- 
ing, the  grandfather  was  seen  coming  up 
to  fetch  them.  Heidi  flew  to  meet  him. 
She  wished  to  be  the  first  to  tell  him  what 
had  happened,  but  she  was  so  much  ex- 
cited over  her  news  that  she  could  hardly 
find  words  with  which  to  utter  it.  He 
soon  made  out,  however,  what  she  wished 
to  say,  and  an  expression  of  real  delight 
came  over  his  face.  He  hastened  his 
steps,  and  as  he  came  up  to  Klara,  he  said 
to  her,  smiling  pleasantly,  "  So  now  we 
have  tried,  and  we  have  won !  " 


SOMETHING   HAPPENS.  207 

He  raised  Klara  from  the  ground, 
passed  his  left  arm  around  her  waist  and 
held  his  right  as  a  firm  support  for  her 
hand,  and  she  marched  along  with  this 
steady  support  at  her  back  much  more 
surely,  and  with  less  fear  than  before. 
Heidi  ran  about  them  shouting  for  joy, 
and  the  uncle  looked  as  if  some  great 
good  fortune  had  befallen  him.  He  soon 
took  Klara  in  his  arms,  however,  saying, 
"  We  must  not  overdo  it,  it  is  quite  time 
to  get  home ; "  and  he  set  himself  at  once 
to  the  work,  for  he  knew  that  Klara  had 
made  such  unusual  exertions  that  she 
needed  rest  immediately. 

\Vhen  Peter-  came  down  to  Dorfli  with 
the  flock  that  evening,  a  large  knot  of 
the  villagers  were  gathered  together,  and 
crowding  each  other  a  little  here  and  there, 


208  HEIDI. 

the  better  to  see  what  was  lying  on  the 
ground.  Peter  wished  to  see,  too.  He 
elbowed  and  pushed  right  and  left  till  he 
got  through  the  crowd. 

Now  he  spw  it. 

On  the  grass  lay  the  central  piece  of  the 
bath-chair,  with  a  part  of  the  back  hanging 
to  it.  The  red  covering,  and  the  shining 
brass  nails,  proved  what  a  handsome  chair 
it  must  have  been  when  perfect. 

"  I  was  here  when  it  came,  to  be  carried 
up  the  Aim,"  said  the  baker,  who  stood 
near  Peter  ;  "  it  was  worth  five  hundred 
francs,  at  least,  I  will  wager.  I  should 
like  to  know  how  it  happened." 

"  The  wind  might  have  driven  it  down, 
the  uncle  himself  said  so,"  said  Barbel, 
who  stood  by,  adiuiring  the  red  covering. 

*'  It  is  pretty  lucky  that  nobody  else  did 


SOMETHING    HAPPENS.  2O9 

it,"  said  the  baker  again  ;  "he  would  catch 
it,  I'm  thinking.  When  the  gentleman  in 
Frankfort  finds  it  out,  he  will  have  the 
thing  looked  up.  I  am  glad,  for  my  part, 
that  I  have  not  been  up  on  the  Aim  these 
two  years  past ;  suspicion  may  fall  on  any- 
body, who  has  been  up  there  lately." 

Many  different  opinions  were  uttered, 
but  Peter  had  heard  quite  enough.  He 
crept  furtively  out  of  the  crowd,  and  ran 
with  all  his  speed  up  the  Aim,  as  if  some 
one  were  after  him  to  catch  him.  The 
baker's  words  had  frightened  him  terribly. 
He  knew  now  that  at  any  moment  a 
policeman  might  come  from  Frankfort,  to 
investigate  the  affair,  and  it  would  come 
out  that  he  was  guilty,  and  they  would 
take  him  and  send  him  to  the  house  of 
correction.  Peter  saw  this  in  prospect, 
and  his  hair  stood  on  end  for  fear. 


2IO  HEIDI. 

Disturbed  beyond  measure  he  reached 
his  home.  He  would  give  no  answer  to 
anything,  he  would  not  eat  his  potatoes , 
he  crept  to  his  bed  as  last  as  he  could,  and 
lay  there  groaning. 

"  Peterkin  must  hav^e  been  eating  sorrel 
again,  he  has  a  stomaciiache  ;  hear  how  he 
groans,"  said  his  mother  Brigitte. 

"  You  must  give  him  more  bread  ;  give 
him  a  piece  of  my  roll  to-morrow  morn- 
ing," said  the  grandmother  pityingly. 

When  the  children  looked  from  their 
beds  out  into  the  starliorht  that  same 
evening,  Heidi  said,  "  Haven't  )'ou  realized 
all  day,  Klara,  what  a  good  thing  it  is 
that  the  o^ood  God  does  not  o-rant  our 
prayers,  no  matter  how  earnestly  we  pray 
to  him,  if  he  has  something  better  in  store 
ior  us  ?  " 


SOMETHING    HAPrENS.  211 

"  Why  do  you  say  that  now,  Heidi  ? " 
asked   Klara. 

"  Don't  )'oii  know  how  I  prayed  in 
Frankfort  that  I  mioht  o^o  home  rigfht 
awa}'  ?  and  when  the  good  God  did  not 
let  me  go,  I  thought  it  was  because  he 
had  not  Hstened  to  my  prayer.  But  you 
see,  if  I  had  gone  away  then,  you  would 
never  have  come  here,  and  you  would 
not  have  been  cured  on  the  Alp." 

Klara  became  very  thoughtful.  "  But, 
Heidi,"  she  said  after  a  pause,  "  if  that  is 
true,  we  ought  never  to  ask  for  anything, 
because  the  good  God  must  always  know 
of  something  better  for  us  than  we  can 
know  about." 

"  Yes,  yes,  Klara,  this  is  the  way  it  is," 
said  Heidi  eagerly.  "  We  must  pray  to 
God  every  day,   and  tell    him  everything, 


.2li2  HEIDI. 

everything ;  so  that  he  can  know  that  we 
do  not  foro-et  him,  and  then  he  will  not 
forget  us.  Your  grandmamma  told  me  so. 
But  we  oueht  never  to  think  that  God  has 
forofottcn  us  because  he  does  not  errant  our 
prayers,  and  so  stop  praying,  but  rather 
pray  in  this  way:  'Now  I  am  sure,  dear 
God,  that  there  is  something  better  in 
store  for  me,  and  so  I  will  be  happy,  be- 
cause you  will  providj.'" 

**  How  did  you  think  of  all  this,  Heidi  ? " 
asked  Klara. 

"  Your  grandmamma  told  me  hrst,  and 
then  it  happened,  and  I  knew  it  was  true. 
But  I  meant  to  say,  Klara,"  and  Heidi  sat 
up  in  her  bed,  "  to-day  we  ought  to  thank 
the  dear  God  particularly,  for  the  great 
happiness  he  has  sent  us  in  letting  you 
walk." 


SOMETHING    HAPPENS.  2I3 

"  Yes,  you  are  right,  Heidi ;  I  am  glad 
that  you  have  reminded  me.  For  sheer 
happiness   I   had  quite  forgotten." 

So  the  children  prayed,  and  thanked 
God  in  their  own  way,  that  he  had  cured 
Klara  who  had  been  sick  so  long. 

Next  morning  the  grandfather  proposed 
that  the  children  should  write  to  the  grand- 
mamma in  Ragatz,  and  ask  her  to  come 
up  to  the  Aim,  as  there  was  something 
worth  seeinof  there.  But  the  children  had 
made  a  different  plan.  They  had  proposed 
to  give  the  grandmamma  a  very  great  sur- 
prise. Klara  was  to  practise  until  she 
could  take  a  little  walk,  supported  by  Heidi 
alone  ;  but  the  grandmamma  must  not 
have  the  least  suspicion  of  it.  And  they 
begged  the  uncle  to  tell  them  how  long 
he  thought   it  would   take  ;    and  when   he 


214  HEIDI. 

said,  not  more  than  a  week,  they  proposed 
to  write  a  letter  invithig-  the  grandmamma 
urgently  to  be  at  the  end  of  a  week  on 
the  Alp.  But  not  a  word  of  the  surprise 
was  to  be  breathed. 

The  days  that  followed  were  the  most 
delightful  of  all  that  Klara  had  passed  on 
the  mountain.  Every  morning  she  woke 
with  the  happy  sound  ringing  in  her  heart : 
"  I  am  well,  I  am  well !  I  need  lie  no 
longer  in  a  chair,  I  can  go  about  by  my- 
self like  other  people  !  " 

The  walking  exercise  followed,  and  she 
went  better  and  better,  and  took  a  longer 
walk  each  day.  The  unwonted  exercise 
brought  such  an  appetite  with  it,  that  daily 
the  slice  of  bread  and  butter  had  to  be 
bigger,  and  the  grandfather  stood  by  and 
watched    it  disappear  with  immense    satis 


SOMETHING    HAPPENS.  21  5 

faction  ;  and  he  always  brought  a  big  jug 
of  the  foaming  milk  out  to  the  children 
now,  and  filled  muQ-  after  muo-  for  them. 
At  last  the  week  was  over,  and  the  day 
came  that  was  to  bring  the  grandmamma. 


2l6  HEIDL 


CHAPTER    IX. 

A    PARTING,    BUT    NOT    FOREVER. 

The  day  before  she  was  to  start,  the 
grandmamma  had  sent  off  a  letter  to  the 
Aim,  so  that  her  arrival  would  not  take  them 
by  surprise.  Peter  brought  this  letter  as 
he  came  up  toward  the  pasture.  The  Aim 
uncle  had  already  come  out  before  the  hut 
with  the  children,  and  stood  ready  with 
Schwanli  and  Barli  by  his  side.  The  goats 
shook  their  pretty  heads  in  the  fresh 
morning  breeze,  while  the  children  patted 
them,  and  wished  them  a  happy  journey 
to  the  pasture.  The  uncle  looked  with 
satisfaction  first  at  the  fresh  faces  of  the 


A    PARTING,    BUT   NOT   FOREVER.         2  I  7 

children,  and  then  at  his  clean,  well-fed 
g-oats.  His  face  wore  a  very  happy  ex- 
pression. 

At  this  moment  Peter  made  his  ap- 
pearance. When  he  saw  the  little  group 
he  drew  near  very  slowly,  held  his  letter 
out  to  the  uncle,  and  the  moment  it  had 
left  his  hand  he  sprang  back  timidly  and 
looked  quickly  behind  him,  as  if  something 
might  be  coming  of  which  he  was  afraid  ; 
then  with  one  leap  he  was  off,  and  up  the 
mountain. 

"  Grandfather,"  said  Heidi,  who  was 
much  surprised  at  this  queer  conduct  on 
the  part  of  the  goatherd,  "  why  does  Peter 
behave  exactly  like  the  big  Turk,  when  he 
sees  a 'rod  behind  him?" 

"  Perhaps  Peter  sees  a  rod  behind  him, 
that  he  deserves,"  replied  her  grandfather 


2l8  HEIDI. 

The  lad  ran  up  the  nearest  slopes  at 
one  pull.  As  soon  as  he  was  out  of  sight 
of  the  hut,  it  was  different ;  then  he  stopped 
and  turned  his  head  in  a  scared  fashion  in 
every  direction.  Suddenly  he  gave  a  jump 
and  looked  behind  him,  as  frightened  as 
if  some  one  had  seized  him  by  the  nape 
of  his  neck.  From  behind  every  bush, 
out  of  every  thicket,  he  thought  the  police 
from  Frankfort  might  be  ready  to  spring 
upon  him.  The  longer  this  anxious  dread 
lasted  the  more  unhappy  Peter  was,  and  he 
had  at  last  not  one  quiet  moment. 

Heidi  soon  went  into  the  hut,  to  put 
everything  in  order ;  for  she  wished  the 
grandmamma  to  find  it  looking  very  neat 
when  she  came.  Klara  found  so  much 
amusement  in  watching  these  proceedings 
on  the  part  of  Heidi,  that  she  always  came 


A    PARTING,    BUT   NOT    FOREVER.         219 

in  to  look  on,  while  her  friend  worked. 
They  were  both  so  well  emplo)ed  that  the 
early  morning  hours  slipped  away,  and  it 
was  almost  time  for  the  visitor  to  arri^■e, 
before  they  knew  how^  late  it  was.  Then 
they  came  out,  and  seated  themselves  to 
await  the  great  event. 

The  grandfather  joined  them ;  he  had 
taken  a  walk  that  morning,  and  brought 
home  a  big  bunch  of  dark-blue  gentians, 
which  looked  so  beautiful  in  the  briorht 
sunliorht  that  the  children  exclaimed  at  the 
sight.  He  carried  them  into  the  hut. 
Every  now  and  then  Heidi  sprang  up  from 
the  bench,  in  hope  to  descry  some  sign 
of  the  grandmamma's  procession. 

There  it  was,  at  last,  just  as  Heidi  had 
expected  it  would  be !  First  came  the 
guide,  then  the  grandmamma  on  her  white 


IsO  HEIDI. 

horse,  then  the  porter  \vith  his  basket  piled 
with  wraps,  for  the  lady  never  would  go  up 
the  mountains  without  plenty  of  means  of 
keeping"  dry  and  warm.  Tliey  came  nearer 
and  nearer.  Now  they  had  reached  the 
summit,  and  the  trrandmamma  from  her 
horse  cauo-ht  si^ht  of  the  children, 
/  ■'  What  do  I  see,  Klara,  my  child  ? 
What  is  this  ?  You  are  not  sitting  in 
your  chair!"  the  grandmamma  cried  quite 
startled,  and  hastened  to  dismount.  But 
before  even  she  reached  the  children  she 
clasped  her  hands  together,  and  said  :  "Is 
it  you,  Klara,  or  is  it  not?  Your  cheeks 
are  red,  and  round  as  apples.  Child,  I 
should  not  know  you  !  " 

The  good  lady  darted  tow^ards^  her 
grandchild  ;  but  in  a  trice  Heidi  had 
slipped    from   the   bench,   Klara  had  risen 


A   PARTING,   BUT   NOT    FOREVER.         22  1 

quickly,    supporting    herself   on    her    little 
friend's   shoulder,   and    the    two  girls  were 
calmly  taking    a    little  walk.     The    grand 
mamma  stood    perfectly  still,  at  first  from 
fright.     She  thought  that  Heidi  was  under 
taking  some  unheard-ot   thing. 

But  what  was  it  that  she  saw  ?  Upright 
and  steady  Klara  was  walking  by  Heidi's 
side  ;  the  children  came  back  after  a  few 
minutes,  both  with  rosy  cheeks,  both  with 
beaminof  faces.  Now  the  o-fandmamma 
threw  herself  upon  them.  Laughing  and 
crying  at  once  she  clasped  Klara  in  her 
arms,  then  Heidi,  and  then  again  embraced 
her  granddaughter,  finding  no  words  to 
ex-press  her  joy. 

Presently  she  espied  the  uncle,  who  was 
standing  by  the  bench  looking  at  the  group 
with  a  contented  smile.     The  grandmamma 


222  HEIDI. 

took  Klara  by  the  arm,  and  with  increasing 
surprise  and  delight  that  it  was  indeed  so, 
that  the  child  was  indeed  walking  by  her 
side,  moved  with  her  toward  the  bench. 
Then  -he  stopped,  and  seized  the  uncle 
by  both  hands. 

"  My  dear,  good  uncle  !  How  can  we 
ever  thank  )'ou  ?  This  is  your  work  !  It 
is  your  care  and   nursino-  — " 

"And  our  good  Lord's  sunshine  and 
mountain  air,"  added  the  uncle,  smiling. 

"  Yes,  and  Schwanli's  good  sweet  milk, 
too,"  added  Klara.  "You  must  see  how 
I  drink  the  goat's  milk,  grandmamma,  and 
how  crood   it   is  '  " 

"  I  can  see  that  b)-  your  cheeksTlciarar- 
No,    1    really  do   not  know   you  ;   )  ou   have 
grown  round  and  plumi),  as  I  never  dreamed 
you  could  be.      Is  it  reall)  my  Klara  .>     \\'e 


A    PARTING,    BUT   NOT    FOREVER.         223 

will  not  lose  one  moment,  but  telegraph  to 
my  son  in  Paris  ;  he  must  come  to  see  yoi' 
immediately.  I  will  not  tell  him  why ;  it 
will  be  the  greatest  happiness  of  his  whole 
life.  How  shall  we  arrange  this,  my  dcai 
uncle  ?  You  have  sent  the  men  down 
again,  I  suppose  ?" 

"  Yes,  they  have  gone  ;  but  if  you  are 
in  such  haste,  we  can  send  the  goatherd 
down  ;   he  will  have  time  enough." 

The  grandmamma  stood  tc  -^  that  sh^ 
would  send  a  despatch  at  once  ,,.  >er  son, 
he  ought  not  to  be  deprived  oi  '^is  happi- 
ness a  single  hour.  So  the  uncle  went  a 
little  to  one  side,  and  g^ave  such  a  search- 
inor  whistle  through  his  finders  that  the 
echo  came  back  from  the  rocks  far  above 
them.  Before  long  Peter  came  running 
down.      He  was  as  white  as  chalk,  for  he 


2  24  HEIDI. 

thought  that  the  uncle  was  whistling-  him 
down  to  be  punished.  Only  a  bit  of  paper 
was  given  to  him,  however,  which  the 
grandmamma  had  in  the  mean  time  writ- 
ten, and  he  received  the  order  to  take  this 
paper  to  the  post-office  in  Dorfli.  The 
uncle  said  he  would  attend  to  the  payment 
later,  for  it  was  not  safe  to  give  Peter  too 
much  to  do  at  once.  Thus  Peter  set  out 
quite  relieved,  his  paper  in  his  hand,  for 
the  uncle  had  not  whistled  him  to  his  de- 
serts, and  no  policeman  was  to  be  seen. 

The  party  now  seated  themselves  com- 
fortably at  the  table,  and  everything  that 
had  passed  was  rehearsed  to  the  grand- 
mamma from  the  begiiuiing.  It-4ook_a 
long  time  to  finish  the  story,  for  they  were 
constantly  interrupted  by  questions,  and 
expressions   of   thankful    surprise.      "  And 


A   PARTING,    BUT   NOT    FOREVER.         225 

my  weak,  pale,  lame  little  grandchild  is 
transformed  into  this  blooming,  round- 
faced  maiden  !  It  is  a  fairy  tale,  I 
do  believe,"  cried  the  grandmamma,  and 
delighted  the  children  by  showing  how 
completely  their  plan  of  surprise  had  suc- 
ceeded. 

Mr.  Sesemann,  in  his  turn,  had  planned 
a  surprise.  He  had  set  out  one  fine 
sunny  morning  from  Paris,  and  travelled 
on  to  Basle  without  stopping,  and  on  again 
the  following  day  as  quickly  as  possible, 
for  he  had  been  seized  with  an  irresistible 
desire  to  see  his  daughter,  from  whom  he 
had  been  separated  all  summer.  He  had 
arrived  in  Ragatz  just  as  his  mother  had 
left  for  the  Aim  ;  had  followed  in  a  car- 
riage to  Mayenfeld,  and  on  to  Dorfli,  for 
he  thought  the  walk  up  the  Aim  would  be 
enough  for  him  to  undertake. 


226  HEIDT. 

He  was  quite  right,  moreover ;  the  steep 
dimb  was  very  fatiguing  to  him.  He  saw 
no  cottage  anywhere  ;  and  he  knew,  too, 
that  hah'-way  up  he  should  have  found 
the  dwelHng  of  goat- Peter,  for  he  had 
heard  the  description  of  the  mountain  path 
often  enough.  There  were  Httle  footpaths 
visible  everywhere,  crossing  and  recrossing 
each  other.  Mr.  Sesemann  beo^an  to  be 
afraid  that  he  was  mistaken,  and  that  the 
mountain  cottage  lay  on  another  part  of 
the  Alp.  H*e  looked  about,  hoping  to  see 
some  human  being.  It  was  perfectly  quiet, 
nowhere  a  sound  to  be  heard,  not  a  liv- 
ing creature  to  be  seen  ;  only  a  moun- 
tain breeze  fanned  the  air,  while  insects 
hummed,  and  a  bird  sang  in  the  clear 
sky.  Mr.  Sesemann  stood  still,  and  let  the 
Alpine  wind  cool  his  heated  brow. 


A    PARTING,   BUT   NOT   FOREVER.         227 

Somebody  came  running  down  the 
mountain.  It  was  Peter,  with  his  despatch 
in  his  hand.  He  ran  as  the  crow  flies,  not 
following  the  path,  on  which  Mr.  Sese- 
mann  was  standing^.  As  soon  as  the  run- 
ner  was  near  enough,  Mr.  Sesemann 
beckoned  to  him.  Hesitatingly  and  tim- 
idly Peter  advanced,  sidewise,  not  in  a 
straight  line,  and  as  if  he  could  not  put 
one  foot  before  the  other  properly,  but 
must  drag  one  behind  him. 

"  Well,  my  lad,  this  way !  "  said  Mr. 
Sesemann  encouragingly.  "  Just  tell  me 
if  by  this  path  I  shall  come  to  the  cottage, 
where  an  old  man  lives  with  a  child  called 
Heidi,  and  where  the  people  from  F"rank- 
fort  are  staying  ?  " 

A  smothered  cry  of  fear  was  the  only 
answer,  and  Peter  dashed  away  with  such 


228  HEIDI. 

tremendous  force  that  he  went  heels  over 
head  down  the  steep  slope,  and  rolled  in 
involuntary  somersets  farther  and  farther, 
just  as  the  bath-chair  had  done,  only  for- 
tunately Peter  did  not  come  all  to  pieces 
like  the  chair.  Meanwhile  the  despatch 
received  terrible  treatment,  and  Hew  away, 
torn   into  bits. 

"  A  singularly  bashful  mountaineer," 
said  Mr.  Sesemann  to  himself,  for  he  sup- 
posed this  conduct  to  have  been  caused  by 
the  unexpected  appearance  of  a  stranger 
before  the  simple  Alpine  boy ;  and  after 
he  had  watched  Peter's  powerful  move- 
ment down  the  hillside  for  a  little,  he  went 
on  his  way. 

Peter  could  not  stop  liimself.  no  matter 
how  he  struggled.  He  rolled  on  and  on, 
and    now   and    then   over   and   over.      But 


A    PARTING,    P.UT   NOT   FOREVER.         229 

this  was  not  the  worst  for  him  at  this  mo- 
ment ;  the  worst  was  the  knowledge  that 
the  poHceman  had  arrived  from  Frankfort, 
for  Peter  did  not  doubt  that  the  stranger 
who  had  asked  the  way  to  tlie  Ahn  uncle's 
hut  was  he.  At  last  he  tumbled  into  a 
bush,  about  half-way  down  the  last  slope 
towards  Dorfh,  and  there  he  stuck  fast. 
He  lay  still  for  a  moment  to  collect  him- 
self, and  think  what  to  do  next. 

"This  is  first-rate,  here  comes  another," 
said  a  voice  close  to  Peter.  "  And  who 
will  get  a  shove  to-morrow,  I  wonder,  and 
come  tumbling  down  like  a  half-made 
potato-sack  ?  " 

It  was  the  baker  who  was  joking  in  this 
wise.  He  had  come  up  the  hill  a  little 
way,  to  refresh  himself  after  his  hot  day's 
work,  and  had  quietly  watched  Peter  as  he 


230  HEIDI. 

rolled,  not  unlike  the  bath-chair,  down  the 
steep  mountain-side. 

The  lad  hastened  to  regain  his  feet.  A 
new  fear  had  seized  him.  Now  the  baker 
knew,  too,  that  the  chair  had  been  shoveci 
down.  Without  a  single  glance  backward, 
Peter  turned  again  up  the  mountain.  If 
he  could  have  had  his  way  he  would  have 
liked  to  creep  into  his  bed,  for  he  felt 
safest  there.  But  his  goats  were  up  above, 
and  the  uncle  had  strictly  charged  him  to 
come  back  quickly,  because  they  ought  not 
to  be  left  very  long  alone.  He  was  afraid 
of  the  uncle,  and  had  never  yet  ventured 
to  disobey  him.  Peter  groaned  aloud  and 
limped  on  ;  it  must  be,  he  must  go  up 
again.  But  he  could  not  run ;  the  anxiety, 
and  the  manifold  bruises  that  he  had  just 
received,  distressed  him  too  much.     So  on 


A    PARTING,   BUT   NOT   FOREVER.         23  I 

he  went,  limping  and  groaning  all  the  way 
up  the  Alp. 

Mr.  Sesemann  reached  the  first  cottage 
soon  after  he  had  seen  Peter,  and  when  he 
thus  knew  that  he  was  on  the  right  path, 
he  went  on  more  courageously.  At  last 
he  saw  his  goal  before  him.  There  stood 
the  Aim  hut,  and  there  the  dark  treetops 
of  the  old  pines  waved  to  and  fro. 

Mr.  Sesemann  went  gayly  along  the  last 
ascent,  picturing  to  himself  his  daughter's 
pleased  surprise.  He  was  quickly  discov- 
ered and  recognized  by  the  party  before 
the  hut,  where  a  surprise  was  ready  for  the 
father  of  which  he  had  no  idea.  As  he 
came  up  the  last  steps  of  the  hill,  two 
figures  came  towards  him  ;  a  large  gir.\ 
with  fair  hair  and  a  rosy  face,  supporting 
herself   upon    the    smaller    Heidi,    out   of 


2.32  HEIDI. 

whose  dark  eyes  streamed  glances  of  hap 
piness.  Mr.  Sesemann  started  ;  he  stood 
still,  and  stared  at  the  approaching  chil- 
dren. Suddenly  great  tears  rolled  down 
his  cheeks.  What  remembrances  were 
rising"  in  his  heart  ?  It  was  the  ima^e  of 
Klara's  mother  that  rose  before  him,  so 
had  she  looked,  such  oolden  locks,  such 
rosy  cheeks.  Mr.  Sesemann  did  not  know 
if  he  were  awake  or  asleep. 

"Papa,  do  you  not  know  me  again? 
Am  I  really  so  much  altered  ?  "  And  with 
the  words  Klara  was  clasped  in  her  father's 
arms. 

•'Yes,  you  are  altered!  Is  it  possible? 
Is  it  reality?''  The  father  drew  a  step  or 
two  backward,  to  see  if  the  picture  would 
not  vanish  from  before  his  eyes;  then  again 
he   folded  her  in  his  arms,  and  then  held 


A    PARTING.   BUT   NOT    FOREVER.         233 

her  off  from  him,  Lu  gaze  on  her  rosy 
cheeks  and  to  see  how  firmly  she  held 
herself. 

By  this  time  the  grandmamma  had  come 
up,  for  she  could  not  wait  another  moment, 
she  was  so  desirous  of  seeintr  her  son's 
happy  face. 

"What  do  you  say,  my  son?  The  sur- 
prise you  have  given  us  is  good  ;  but  ours 
for  you  is  far  better,  is  it  not  ?  "  and  she 
kissed  her  son  affectionately ;  "  but  now 
you  must  come  up  to  the  hut  to  make  the 
acquaintance  of  the  uncle,  who  is  our  great 
benefactor." 

"  Certainly,  and  I  ought  to  say  a  v.ord 
to  our  little  fricM^l  here,"  said  Mr.  Sese- 
mann,  as  he  shook  Heidi's  hand.  '*  How 
is  it  ?  Fresh  and  healthy  once  more  on 
the    Alp  ?     But    it    is    u.seless    to    ask,    no 


234  HEIDI. 

x'\lpine    rose    could    look    more    blooming 
This    is    a    pleasure    to    me,   child,   a    real 
pleasure." 

Heidi  looked  affectionately  up  into  Mr 
Sesemann's  face.  How  good  he  had 
always  been  to  her !  and  that  now,  here  on 
the  Alp,  such  a  great  happiness  should 
have  befallen  him,  made  Heidi's  heart  beat 
rapidly  for  joy. 

Mrs.  Sesemann  carried  her  son  off  now 
to  see  the  Aim  uncle.  The  two  men  stood 
holding  each  other's  hands,  and  Mr.  Sese- 
mann expressed  his  gratitude  and  aston- 
ishment at  what  seemed  to  him  almost  a 
miracle  ;  and  the  grandmamma  turned 
away,  for  she  had  said  all  this  a  few  mo- 
ments before,  and  she  wished  to  have 
another  look  at  the  old  pines.  Here, 
under  the  shade   of   the   trees,  where   the 


A   PARTING,   BUT   NOT   FOREVER.         235 

broad  branches  left  a  free  place,  stood  a 
great  cluster  of  most  wonderful  dark-blue 
gentians,  as  fresh  as  if  they  grew  there 
naturally.  She  clasped  her  hands  with 
pleasure  and  astonishment. 

"  How  splendid  !  How  lovely  !  What 
a  sight!  Come  here,  Heidi,  my  dear 
child,  did  you  arrange  this  for  me  ?  It  is 
perfectly  wonderful !  " 

The  children  were  by  her  side  in  a 
moment.  "  No,  no,  I  did  not  do  it,"  said 
Heidi  ;   "  but  I  know  who  did." 

"  That  is  just  the  way  it  looks  up  in  the 
pasture,  and  more  beautiful  yet,"  said 
I\Jara.  "  But  guess,  grandmamma,  w^ho 
brought  \ou  these  flowers  early  in  the 
morni.ig  from  the  pasture !  "  and  Klara 
smiled  so  merrily  that  the  grandmamma 
began  to  think  the  child  had  been  up  the/i; 


236^____:,^  HEIDI. 

herself  before    her   arrival.     But    that    in- 
deed was  a  thing-  impossible^. 

A  slight  noise  was  just  then  heard  under 
the  pines.  It  was  made  by  Peter,  who  had 
just  got  back.  When  he  saw  from  afar 
who  was  there  with  the  Aim  uncle,  he  had 
made  a  wide  circuit,  and  was  creeping 
secretly  along  under  the  trees.  The 
grandmamma  recognized  him,  and  a  new 
idea  took  possession  of  her.  Peter  must 
have  brought  these  beautiful  flowers  down 
for  her,  and  now  was  hiding  himself  for 
bashfulness.  No,  that  could  not  be  per- 
mitted, he  must  have  a  little  recompense. 

"  Come,  my  lad,  come  here ;  quick, 
don't  be  afraid  !  "  said  the  grandmamma, 
and  peered,  as  she  spoke,  through  the 
*:rees  at  Peter. 

The  lad  stood  still,  stiff  with  fear.     Es- 


.1    PARTING.   BUT   NOT   FOREVER.         237 

rape  was  no  longer  possible  to  him.  He 
had  but  one  idea  left,  "It  is  out!"  His 
hair  stood  on  end,  and  pale  and  trembling 
he  crept  out  from  behind  the  pines. 

"  Come,  my  boy,  don't  stay  there,"  said 
the  grandmamma,  meaning-  to  encourage 
him.      "  Now  tell  me,  did  you  do  it?" 

As  Peter  did  not  raise  his  eyes,  he  did 
not  see  where  the  lady  was  pointing.  He 
did  see  that  the  uncle  was  standing  not 
far  off  at  the  corner  of  the  hut,  piercing 
him  with  his  clear  gray  eyes,  and  that  the 
most  dreadful  of  all  people  in  the  w-orld, 
the  policeman  froni  Frankfort,  w-as  stand- 
ing by  his  side.  Trembling  and  quivering 
in  every  limb,  Peter  gave  forth  a  loud  cry ; 
it  was  "  Yes  !  " 

"  Now%  now%"  said  the  grandmamma, 
"what  does  all  this  fright  mean?" 


38  HEIDI. 

"Because  —  because — it  is  all  broker. 
t.o  pieces,  and  can  never  be  mended," 
stammered  the  lad,  and  his  knees  shook 
so  that  he  could  no  longer  stand. 

The  orrandmamma  went  towards  the  cor- 

o 

ner  of  the  hut.  "  My  dear  uncle,"  said 
she  compassionately,  "  is  that  boy  really 
cracked  ? " 

"  No,  not  in  the  least,"  said  the  uncle 
reassuringly  ;  "  the  boy  is  only  the  wind, 
that  chased  the  bath-chair  down  the  moun- 
tain, and  now  he  is  expecting  his  well- 
earned  punishment." 

The  grandmamma  could  hardly  believe 
this,  for  she  did  not  find  Peter  at  all  mis- 
chievous in  appearance  ;  and  then,  he  had 
no  reason  for  destroying  thvs  very  useful 
bath-chair.  The  uncle,  indeed,  had  only 
a  suspicion  to  sustain  his  assertion,  a  sus- 


A   PARTING,    BUT    NOT    FOREVER.         23c 

picion  that  he  had  conceived  directly  after 
the  deed.  The  scowhng  looks  that  Peter 
had  cast  at  Klara  from  the  very'  beginning, 
and  all  the  sig-ns  of  dislike  he  had  mani- 
fested  towards  the  visitors  to  the  Alp, 
had  not  escaped  him.  He  had  put  this 
and  that  together,  and  was  quite  con- 
vinced that  he  understood  the  whole  story 
which  he  now  confided  to  the  orrandmamma. 
When  he  had  finished,  the  lady  declared 
with  great  energy:  "No,  my  dear  uncle, 
no,  no,  the  poor  boy  has  been  quite 
enough  punished.  One  must  be  merciful. 
Here  come  strange  people  from  Frankfort 
and  carry  off  his  Heidi  from  him,  for  whole 
weeks  at  a  time,  his  only  happiness,  and 
truly  a  great  happiness,  and  he  sits  up 
there  alone  day  after  day,  and  looks  on. 
No,   no,  one    must   be   forgiving.      Anger 


240  HEIDI. 

has  overpowered  him,  and  driven  him  to  a 
revenge  which  was  rather  a  stupid  one,  I 
must  acknowledge,  but  anger  makes  us  all 
stupid." 

With  this  the  grandmamma  went  over 
to  the  poor  fellow,  who  was  still  trembling 
and  shaking  violently.  She  sat  down  on 
the  bench  under  the  pines,  and  said  kindly  • 
"  Now  come  here,  my  lad,  I  have  something 
to  say  to  you.  Stop  shivering  and  shak- 
ing, and  listen  ;  you  must  obey  me.  You 
pushed  the  bath-chair  down  the  mountain, 
to  break  it  in  pieces.  It  was  ver)'  wrong, 
and  )'OU  knew  it ;  and  that  you  deserved 
to  be  punished  you  knew  also,  and  so  you 
tried  very  hard  to  prevent  anybody  from 
finding  out  what  you  had  done.  But  now 
you  see,  whoever  has  done  a  wrong  deed., 
and  thinks  that  no  one  knows  it,  deceives 


A    PARTING,   BUT   NOT    FOR1;VP:r.         24 1 

himself.  The  good  God  sees  and  hears 
everything,  and  as  soon  as  he  sees  that 
anybody  has  done  wrong,  and  wishes  to 
hide  it.  he  wakens  quickly  in  that  person 
the  little  watchman,  that  he  has  placed  in 
eveiybody  at  his  birth,  and  that  is  allowed 
to  sleep  until  that  person  has  done  some- 
thintr  wrono"-     The   little  watchman   has  a 

o  o 

little  sting  in  his  hand,  and  with  that  he 
keeps  pricking  the  wrong-doer,  until  he 
has  not  one  moment's  peace.  And  then 
he  worries  the  tormented  person  with  his 
voice,  for  he  calls  out  continually,  '  Now 
they  are  coming  to  punish  )ou  !  Now  it 
is  all  found  out ! '  So  he  is  always  anxious 
and  frightened,  and  has  no  comfort,  not 
one  bit.  Have  you  not  felt  .something  like 
this,  Peter,  just  now  ?  " 

Peter   nodded   quite    abashed,    but   con- 
sent ingly,  for  the  description  was  exact 


242  HEIDI, 

"  And  yet,  in  one  way,  you  were  wTong 
in  your  calculation,"  said  the  grandmamma 
further.  "  Just  see  how  that  wrong  thing 
that  you  did  has  turned  out  to  be  the 
best,  the  very  best,  for  the  person  towards 
whom  you  felt  so  unkindly.  Because 
Klara  had  no  chair,  in  which  she  could  be 
carried  up  the  mountain  to  see  the  lovely 
fiowers,  she  made  great  exertions  to  get 
to  them  ;  and  so  she  learned  to  walk,  and 
walks  better  and  better  every  day.  If  she 
stays  here,  at  last  she  will  be  able  to 
go  to  the  pasture  whenever  she  chooses  ; 
much  oftener  than  if  she  had  to  be  rolled 
up  in  her  chair.  So  you  see,  Peter,  the 
good  God  can  turn  anything  that  is  meant 
to  be  wicked  into  something  good  for  the 
person  who  was  to  be  hurt.  And  only 
the   evil-doer  has   the    sorrow  and    harm. 


A   PARTIXG,    BUT   NOT    FOREVER.         243 

Have  you  understood  all  that  I  have  said, 
Peter?  Well,  then,  think  on  it;  and  ever\' 
time  you  have  an  inclination  to  do  some- 
thing wrong,  think  of  the  little  watchman 
inside  of  you  with  his  sting  and  disagree- 
able voice.     Will  you  promise  me  that  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  will,"  replied  Peter,  still  more 
depressed,  for  he  did  not  know  in  the  least 
what  the  end  of  this  was  to  be  ;  there  was 
the  policeman,  standing  all  this  time  be- 
side the  uncle. 

"  Well,  that  is  good.  Now  the  thing  is 
settled,"  returned  the  grandmamma.  "  But 
1  mean  to  give  you  something  In  remem- 
brance of  the  people  from  Frankfort,  some- 
thing that  you  will  like  to  have.  So  now^ 
tell  me,  have  you  ever  wished  for  anything 
very  much  ?  W'hat  is  it  ?  W^hat  would 
you  like  best  to  have  ? " 


244  HEIDI. 

At  this  Peter  raised  his  head,  and  stared 
at  the  grandmamma  with  big  round  eyeS. 
He  had  been  expecting  something  horrible 
to  happen  to  him,  and  now  he  was  to  get 
something  that  he  wanted  very  much  !  He 
scarcely  knew  what  to  think. 

"  Yes,  yes,  I  am  in  earnest,"  said  the 
grandmamma,  "you  shall  have  something 
that  you  will  like  very  much,  to  remind 
you  of  us,  and  to  show  you  that  we  do  not 
remember  what  you  have  done  to  harm  us. 
Do  you  understand,  my  boy?" 

At  this  Peter's  prospect  began  to  clear 
up  a  little,  and  he  understood  that  he  had 
no  punishment  to  fear,  and  that  the  £^ood 
woman  before  whom  he  stood  would  save 
him  from  the  power  of  the  police.  He 
felt  a  sense  of  relief  as  if  a  mountain 
were   lifted   that   had    been  weighing   him 


A   PARTING,   BUT   NOT   FOREVER.         245 

down  to  the  ground.  He  had  also  learned 
that  it  is  wiser  to  acknowledore  at  once 
what  one  has  done  that  is  wrong,  than  to 
wait  until  it  is  found  out;  so  he  said,  "And 
I  lost  the  paper  too." 

The  grandmamma  had  to  ponder  a  little 
over  this  abrupt  announcement,  but  she 
soon  discovered  the  connection,  and  said 
kindly :  "  Yes,  yes,  that  is  v-ery  good  of 
you,  to  tell  it.  Always  confess  anything 
you  have  done  that  is  wrong,  and  then  it 
ran  be  repaired.  Now  tell  me  what  you 
wish  for." 

Peter  realized  now  that  he  had  leave  to 
wish  for  anything  in  the  world,  and  he  felt 
almost. dizzy.  The  whole  fair  at  Mayenfeld 
swam  before  his  eyes,  with  all  the  beautiful 
things  that  he  had  stood  for  hours  looking 
at  and  never  even  hoping  to  possess ;  foi 


J?46  HEIDI. 

Peter's  fortune  was  never  so  great  but  that 
everything  there  cost  at  least  its  double. 
There  were  the  handsome  red  whistles, 
which  he  could  use  for  his  goats  so  nice- 
ly ;  there  were  the  tempting  kni\es  with 
round  handles,  toad-stickers  they  were 
called,  with  which  one  could  do  a  livel) 
business  in  the  hazel  copses. 

The  boy  stood  deep  in  thought,  trying 
to  decide  which  of  these  two  was  the  more 
desirable,  and  he  found  it  impossible  to 
thoosc.  Presently  a  luminous  idea  came 
to  him,  by  which  means  he  could  wait  until 
the  next  fair,  and  have  time  to  think  it 
well  over. 

"A  two-cent  piece,"  he  said,  quite  de- 
cided. 

The  crrandmamma  lauofhed. 

"  That  is  not  extravagant.    Come  here  I " 


A  PARTING,  BUT  NOT  FOREVER,    247 

She  drew  out  her  purse,  and  took  from  it 
a  big  round  dollar,  upon  which  she  placed 
two  two-cent  hits.  "  We  will  make  a  little 
':alculation,"  she  said.  "  Here  we  have  as 
many  two-cent  bits  as  there  are  weeks  in 
the  year.  You  can  take  two  cents  every 
Sunday,  and  so  have  a  bit  every  week  all 
the  year  round." 

"All  the  rest  of  my  life?"  asked  the 
boy  innocently. 

At  this  the  grandmamma  began  to 
laugh  so  immoderately  that  the  uncle  and 
Mr.  Sesemann  broke  off  their  conversa- 
tion, to  hear  what  it  was  about. 

The  grandmamma  kept  on  laughing. 

"  You  shall  have  it,  my  lad  ;  there  shall 
be  a  clause  in  my  will  to  that  effect  —  do 
you  hear,  my  son  ?  Two  cents  a  week  to 
the  goat- Peter,  as  long  as  he  shall  live." 


a48  i\Zivi. 

Mr.  Sesemann  nodded  approvingly,  and 
joined  in  the  laugh. 

Peter  gazed  at  the  money  in  his  hand, 
to  see  if  it  were  really  true  ;  then  he  said, 
"Thank  God!"  and  ran  off  in  a  most  un- 
usual fashion  ;  but  this  time  he  kept  his 
feet,  for  he  was  not  driven  by  fear  but  by 
joy,  a  joy  such  as  Peter  had  never  yet 
known.  All  fear  and  anxiety  were  gone, 
and  he  was  to  have  a  two-cent  bit  every 
week  for  all  the  rest  of  his  life  ! 

Later  in  the  day,  when  the  party  had 
finished  their  merry  dinner  before  the  hut, 
and  sat  there  talking  over  all  sorts  of 
things,  Klara  took  her  father,  whose  face 
beamed  more  and  more  with  joy  each  time 
he  looked  at  her,  by  the  hand,  and  said, 
with  a  sprightliness  that  no  one  had  ever 
observed  in  the  delicate  and  languid  child : 


i 


A   PARTING,    KUT   NOT    FOREVER.         249 

"  O  papa,  if  you  only  could  know  what  the 
grandfather  has  done  for  me  !  vSo  mucli 
ever)'  day  that  it  would  be  impossible  to 
tell  it  all,  but  I  shall  never  forget  it  in  all 
my  life.  x'Xnd  I  shall  always  be  thinking 
how  I  can  do  something  for  him,  or  send 
him  a  present,  that  will  give  him  half  the 
happiness  that  he  has  given  me." 

"This  is  also  my  greatest  wish,  my  dear 
child,"  said  her  father ;  "  I  am  at  this  mo- 
ment thinking  of  it,  of  how  we  can  in 
some  small  measure  repay  what  we  owe  to 
his  kindness." 

With  the  words  Mr.  Sesemann  rose  and 
went  towards  the  uncle,  who  w^as  sitting 
beside  the  grandmamma  and  talking  with 
her  very  animatedly,  but  who  rose  as  his 
guest  came  towards  him.  "  My  dear 
friend,"  said  Mr.  Sesemann,  taking  the  old 


250  HEIDI. 

man's  hand  very  affectionately,  "  let  me 
say  a  word  to  you  !  You  can  easily  under- 
stand that  for  many  years  I  have  not 
known  real  happiness.  What  were  all  my 
money  and  possessions  worth  to  me  when 
I  glanced  at  my  child,  and  felt  that  I  could 
never  make  her  sound  or  well,  no  matter 
how  much  I  might  accumulate  ?  Next  to 
our  good  Heavenly  Father  I  feel  that  you 
have  healed  her  for  me,  and  have  given 
nie,  as  well  as  the  child,  a  new  life.  Now 
tell  me  how  I  can  show  you  my  gratitude. 
Recompense  you  I  cannot,  but  what  I  pos- 
sess I  place  at  your  disposal.  Speak,  m)- 
friend,  is  there  anything  I  can  do?" 

The  Aim  uncle  had  listened  in  silence, 
while   surveying   the   happy  parent  with  a 
benevolent  smile. 
,    "Mr.  Sesemann  will  well  believe  that  1 


A   PARTING,   BUT   NOT   Ff)REVER.         251 

have  my  share  in  the  pleasure  of  this  cure, 
which  has  been  worked  on  my  belo\-ed 
Aim ;  my  trouble  is  more  than  repaid," 
said  he,  in  his  decided  manner.  "  I  thank 
Mr.  Sesemann  for  his  kind  offer,  but  I 
need  nothing  whatever.  As  long  as  I  may 
live,  I  have  enough  for  myself  and  for  my 
grandchild.  I  have  one  wish,  however, 
and  could  that  be  fulfilled,  I  should  for  this 
life  feel  no  further  concern." 

"  Name  it,  name  it,  my  dear  friend," 
beesfed  Mr.  Sesemann. 

"  I  am  old,"  continued  the  uncle,  "  and 
cannot  live  very  much  longer.  When  I 
go,  I  cannot  leave  the  child  anything,  and 
she  has  no  other  relatives  ;  no  one  person, 
who  would  take  charge  of  her  and  care  for 
her.  If  Mr.  Sesemann  will  give  me  the 
assurance   that  Heidi   need   never  go    out 


252  HEIDI. 

into  the  world  to  seek  her  bread  among 
strangers,  he  will  have  richly  repaid  me  for 
what  I  have  done  for  his  daughter." 

"  But,  my  dear  friend,"  said  Mr.  Sese- 
mann,  "  there  can  never  be  any  question 
of  that  at  ?ill ;  the  child  belongs  to  us. 
Ask  my  mother,  ask  my  daughter,  if  they 
would  ever  dreani  of  allowing  Heidi  to  go 
to  anybody  else,  ^s  lopg  as  they  were  liv- 
ing. But  if  it  woyld  be  of  the  least  com- 
fort to  you,  here  is  rny  hand  upon  it.  I 
promise  you  that  this  child  shall  never  in 
her  life  go  out  to  earn  her  bread  amongst 
strangers.  I  will  provide  against  that, 
now  and  after  my  death.  I  will  say  too 
thut  this  child  of  yours  is  not  made  to  live 
amongst  strangers,  no  matter  how  favora- 
ble the  circumstances  might  be  ;  we  have 
experienced    that.       But    she    has    made 


A   PARTING,   BUT  NOT   FOREVER.         253 

friends  for  herself.  I  know  such  an  one ; 
he  is  in  Frankfort,  he  is  closing  up  his 
affairs,  to  be  able  to  go  where  he  will  and 
give  himself  some  rest.  That  is  my  friend 
Dr.  Classen,  who  means  to  return  here  in 
the  autumn,  and  to  establish  himself,  tak- 
ing council  with  you,  in  this  neighborhood, 
for  he  has  never  felt  so  well  elsewhere,  he 
says.  So  you  see  the  child  Heidi  will 
have  henceforth  two  protectors  near  her. 
May  you  both  live  long  and  happily 
together !  " 

'*  God  grant  this  may  be  so,"  said  the 
grandmamma,  and  she  shook  the  uncle's 
hand  for  a  long  time  with  great  cordiality. 
Then  putting  her  arm  round  Heidi's  neck, 
for  the  child  stood  near  her,  she  said  very 
tenderly:  "And  you,  my  dear  child,  you 
must   also   ask    for   something.     Tell   me 


254  HEIDI. 

now,   have   you    no  wish   that  you   would 
gladly  have  fulfilled  ?  " 

"  Yes,  nideed,  I  have,"  answered  Heidi, 
and  looked  at  the  grandmamma  with  much 
satisfaction. 

"  Well,  tell  me  at  once,  my  child." 

"  I  should  like  to  have  my  bed  from 
Frankfort  with  the  high  pillows  and  the 
thick  coverlet,  because  the  blind  grand 
mother  has  to  lie  with  her  head  down  and 
can  scarcely  breathe,  and  then  she  will  be 
warm  enough  under  the  coverlet,  and  nol 
have  to  wear  the  shawl  in  bed  because  she 
is  so  cold." 

Heidi  had  said  this  without  stopping  tc 
breathe,  she  was  in  such  haste  to  express 
this  darling  wish  of  hers. 

"  Oh,  my  dear  Heidi,  what  are  you 
saying?"    cried    the    grandmamma,    much 


A    PARTING,   BUT   NOT    FOREVER.         255 

moved.  "It  Is  a  good  thing  that  you  re 
minded  me  of  this,  for  in  greaL  happiness 
it  is  so  easy  to  forget  one's  duties.  When 
God  sends  us  everything  that  is  good,  we 
ought  to  thintc  of  those  who  are  deprived 
of  so  much  !  We  will  telegraph  to  Frank- 
fort at  once.  This  very  day  Rottenmeier 
shall  pack  the  bed,  and  it  will  get  here  in 
two  days.  God  willing,  the  grandmother 
shall  sleep  well  in  it !  " 

Heidi  danced  round  and  round  the 
grandmamma,  as  the  easiest  way  to  ex- 
press her  delight.  But  suddenly  she 
stood  still  and  said :  "  Now  I  rhust  eo 
down  to  tell  the  Qrrandmother  all  about  it ; 
she  will  be  anxious  because  I  have  not 
been  to  see  her  for  so  loner." 

"  No,  no,  Heidi,  what  are  you  thinking 
oH  "    said    her    grandfather    reprovingly. 


256  HEIDI. 

*'  When  one  has  visitors,  it  is  not  proper  to 
run  away  and  leave  them." 

But  the  grandmamma  supported  Heidi. 

*'  The  child  is  right,  my  dear  uncle," 
said  she,  "  the  poor  grandmother  has  for  a 
long  time  been  deprived  of  enough  on  our 
account.  We  will  all  oro  top-ether  to  see 
her,  and  I  will  take  my  horse  from  her 
cottagfe.  Then  we  will  g-o  down  to  Dorfli, 
and  will  telegraph  at  once  to  Frankfort. 
What  do  you  think  of  it,  my  son  ?  " 

But  IVIr.  Sesemann  had  not  yet  had 
time  to  talk  over  his  trip.  He  therefore 
begged  his  mother  to  be  quiet  a  little 
while,  and  not  to  start  off  so  hastily,  as  he 
wished  to  say  a  few  more  words  to  the 
uncle. 

Mr.  Sesemann  had  proposed  to  travel  a 
jlittle  with  his  mother  through  Switzerland, 


A   PARTING,   BUT   NOT   FOREVER.         257 

and  to  see  if  Klara  were  strong  enough  to 
make  a  short  distance  with  them.  Now,  it 
was  all  so  different ;  he  could  have  the 
most  delightfully  interesting  trip  with  his 
daugfhter,  and  he  would  make  use  of  these 
beautiful  late  summer  da)'s  for  that  pur- 
[X)se.  He  therefore  proposed  to  pass  the 
night  in  Dorfli,  and  the  next  day  to  take 
Klara  awa)'  from  the  Aim,  in  order  to 
journey  with  her  to  her  grandmamma  in 
Ragatzbad,  and  from  there  farther. 

Klara  was  rather  cast  down  at  this  sud- 
den prospect  of  leaving  the  Alp  ;  but  it 
would  certainly  be  a  very  delightful  trip, 
and  then  this  was  not  a  time  to  show  any 
disappointment. 

The  grandmamma  had  risen  and  taken 
Heidi's  hand,  ready  to  start  on  their  walk, 
when    she   turned   suddenly  about,   rather 


^5^  HEIDI. 

Startled,  for  she  had  just  remembered  her 
granddaughter.  "But  what  in  the  world 
shall  we  do  with  Klara  ? "  she  said  ;  "  the 
walk  will  be  far  too  long  for  her." 

The  uncle  took  his  foster  daughter  on 
his  arm,  and  followed  with  firm  steps  the 
grandmamma  and  Heidi.  Last  of  all 
came  Mr.  Sesemann,  and  in  this  manner 
they  went  down  the  mountain. 

Heidi  went  dancing  and  jumping  along 
by  the  grandmammas  side,  and  the  latter 
wished  to  know  all  about  the  poor  blind 
woman,  how  she  lived,  and  how  everything 
went  on  in  her  house,  especially  in  the 
cold  winter.  Heidi  could  tell  all  about 
this,  for  she  knew  how  the  grandmother 
sat  drawn  together  in  her  corner,  trem- 
bling with  cold  ;  knew,  too,  what  she  had 
to  eat,  as  well  as  what  she  did  not  have. 


A   PARTING,   BUT   NOT   FOREVER.         259 

4. 

The  grandmamma  listened  with  the  hve- 
liest  interest  to  Heidi's  account,  until  they 
reached  the  hut.  Brigitte  was  just  then 
busy  hanging  Peter's  second  shirt  in  the 
sun  to  dr)',  so  that  when  he  had  worn 
the  other  long  enough  he  could  change. 
She  caught  sight  of  the  company,  and 
ran  into  the  cottage. 

"  Now  they  are  all  going  away,  mother," 
she  said ;  "  there  is  a  whole  procession 
of  them,  and  the  uncle  is  carrying  the  sick 
child." 

"  Oh,  must  it  really  be  ? "  sighed  the 
grandmother.  "  Are  they  going  to  take 
Heidi  with  them  ?  Did  you  see  that  ? 
Oh,  how  I  wish  I  could  take  her  hand 
once  more  !  If  I  could  only  hear  her 
speak  again  !  " 

At  this  moment  the  door  flew  open,  and 


26o  HEIDI. 

Heidi  came  leaping  in,  up  to  the  corner 
where  the  old  woman  sat,  and  hugged  her 
tightly.  "  Grandmother  !  grandmother  ! 
my  bed  is  coming  from  Frankfort,  and  all 
the  three  pillows,  and  the  thick  coverlet. 
They  will  be  here  in  two  days,  the  grand- 
mamma says  so." 

Heidi  was  not  able  to  bring  out  her 
words  fast  enough,  in  her  impatience  to 
see  the  great  delight  of  the  grandmother, 
who  smiled,  but  looked  rather  sad, 

"  Oh,  what  a  good  woman  she  is !  I 
ought  to  be  glad  that  she  is  taking  you 
away  with  her,  Heidi ;  but  I  shall  not  live 
long,  after  it." 

"What?  what?  who  told  the  good  old 
grandmother  such  a  thing  as  that  ? "  It 
was  the  friendly  voice  of  Mrs.  Sesemann, 
and  her  hand  grasped  that  of  the  blind 


A   PARTING,   r.UT   NOT   FOREVER.         26 1 

woman,  which  she  pressed  warmly.  "  No, 
no  !  there  is  no  talk  of  any  such  thing. 
Heidi  is  going  to  stay  with  the  grand- 
mother, and  aKva)s  make  her  happy.  We 
wished  to  see  the  child  again,  but  we  came 
to  her.  We  shall  come  up  to  the  Aim 
ever)'  year,  for  we  have  good  reason  to 
thank  God  for  the  goodness  he  has  shown 
to  us  up  here,  where  he  has  performed  a 
miracle  on  our  dear  child  !  " 

With  this  the  light  of  true  happiness 
came  over  the  face  of  the  grandmother, 
and  with  speechless  joy  she  pressed  the 
hand  of  the  kind  Mrs.  Sesemann,  while 
two  big  tears  rolled  slowly  down  her  face. 
Heidi  recognized  the  look  of  happiness, 
however,  and  was  contented. 

"  It  is  true,  grandmother,  is  it  not?"  she 
said,  as  she  nestled  closely  up  to  the  old 


262  HEIDI. 

woman,  "just  as  we  read  a  while  ago  in 
the  hymn-book.  The  bed  from  Frankfort 
is  provided." 

"  Yes,  Heidi,  and  all  the  many,  many 
things  that  God  gives  me.  How  is  it  pos- 
sible that  there  can  be  such  good  people, 
who  will  trouble  themselves  about  a  poor 
old  creature  like  me,  and  do  so  much  for 
her?  It  is  not  strange  that  we  can  believe 
in  a  good  Father  in  heaven,  who  takes 
thoutrht  for  the  least  of  his  creatures,  when 
we  learn  that  there  are  people  who  are  full 
of  kindness  and  pity  for  such  a  poor  use- 
less old  woman  as  I  am." 

"  My  good  grandmother,  before  our 
Father  in  heaven  we  are  all  alike  pitiful," 
said  Mrs.  Sesemann,  "  and  we  are  all 
equally  in  need  of  his  care.  And  now 
farewell,  but  we  shall  soon  meet  again,  for 


A   PARTING,   BUT   NOT   FUREVEK.         263 

we  shall  come  next  year,  and  not  forget  to 
visit  you  then.  Wa  will  not  forget  that  !  " 
Mrs.  Sesemann  took  the  old  woman's  hand 
again,  and  shook  it  kindly. 

Now  they  went  down  to  the  valley,  Mr. 
Sesemann  and  his  mother,  while  the  uncle 
took  Klara  up  once  more  in  his  arms,  and 
Heidi  gambolled  along  by  his  side,  up  the 
Aim  without  stopping  once  to  rest.  She 
was  indeed  happy  at  the  grandmother's 
good  fortune. 

There  w^ere  hot  tears  shed  the  next 
morning  when  it  was  time  for  Klara  to 
take  leave  ;  the  girl  was  very  loath  to  part 
from  her  friends,  and  from  the  beautiful 
Aim  where  she  had  felt  well,  as  she  had 
never  felt  before.  But  Heidi  comforted 
her,  saying :  "  It  will  be  summer  again 
before  we   think   of  it,   and   then  you  will 


2^4  HEIDI. 

come  again,  and  it  will  be  more  beautiful 
than  ever.  Then  wg  can  begin  at  once  to 
walk  about,  and  go  up  every  day  with  the 
goats  to  the  pasture,  and  see  the  flowers. 
ana  everything  will  be  delightful  from  the 
beginning." 

Mr.  Sesemann  came,  as  agreed  upon,  to 
fetch  his  daughter.     While  he  stood  talk- 
ing with  the  grandfather,  Klara  wiped  the 
tears  from  her  eyes,  for  Heidi's  words  had 
comforted  her  a  little. 

"Give  my  good-bye  to  Peter,"  she  said, 
"  and  to  all  the  goats.  I  wish  I  could  give 
Schwanli  something,  she  has  helped  so 
n  uch  in  making  me  Avell." 

"  You  can  do  that  easily  enough,"  said 
Heidi.      "  Send   her  a  little  salt,  you   know 
how  she  likes  to   lick    it  from    my  grand 
father's  hand  in  the  evening." 


A   PARTING,   BUT   NOT   FOREVER.         265 

This  counsel  pleased  Klara.  "Oh.  I 
will  send  a  hundred  pounds  from  Frank- 
fort,"  she    cried,    "  as   a  remembrance    of 

me." 

IMr.  Sesjmann  here  beckoned  to  the 
children,  for  he  must  be  going,  ^irs. 
Sesemann's  white  horse  had  been  sent  up 
for  Klara.  She  could  ride  down  now,  she 
no  longer  needed  a  litter. 

Heidi  stationed  herself  on  the  most 
prominent  point  of  the  slope,  and  waved 
her  hand  to  Klara  until  there  was  no 
longer  a  sign  of  horse  or  rider  to  be  seen. 

The  bed  from  Frankfort  has  arrived,  and 
the  grandmother  sleeps  so  soundly  every 
night  that  she  will  certainly  get  new 
strength  from  it.  The  good  grandmamma 
has  also  not  forgotten  the  hard  winter  on 
the  Alp.     She  has  sent  a  big  package  to 


266  HEIDI. 

the  goat-Peter's  cottage,  and  in  it  were  all 
sorts  of  warm  things,  so  that  the  grand- 
mother could  wrap  herself  up  very  snugly, 
and  not  shiver  from  the  cold  any  more  in 
her  corner. 

In  Dorfli  a  great  building  is  going  up. 
The  doctor  has  come  from  Frankfort,  and 
has  for  the  time  beinu  eone  into  his 
former  quarters.  By  the  advice  of  the 
uncle,  the  doctor  has  purchased  the  old 
buildine  that  he  and  Heidi  lived  in,  which 
was  formerly  a  fine  house,  as  one  might 
see  from  the  room  where  the  stove  with 
the  beautiful  tiles  stood.  This  part  the 
doctor  is  to  have  arranged  for  his  lodging. 
The  other  part  will  be  put  in  condition  for 
the  uncle  and  Heidi,  for  the  doctor  recog- 
nizes in  his  old  friend  an  independent 
man,   who   must   have    his   own   dwelling- 


A   PARTING,    BUT   NOT   FOREVER.         267 

place.  Quite  at  the  back  Schwlinli  and 
Barli  will  have  comfortable  winter  lodg- 
ings. 

The  doctor  and  the  Aim  uncle  are  daily 
more  and  more  intimate,  and  as  they  walk 
about  inspecting  the  progress  of  the  build- 
ing in  Dorlli,  their  talk  falls  mostly  upon 
Heidi,  for  their  greatest  pleasure  in  the 
new  dwelling  is  that  the  happy  child  will 
here  live  with  them. 

"  My  dear  friend,"  said  the  doctor  re- 
cently to  his  companion,  as  they  stood 
together  on  the  walls,  "  you  must  look  at 
the  thing  from  my  point  of  view.  I  share 
all  your  pleasure  in  the  child  as  if  I  were 
her  next  nearest  relative  ;  I  must  also  share 
all  duties,  and  decide  what  will  be  best  for 
her  welfan*.  In  this  wa)'  I  shall  have  a 
kind  of  right  to  our  Heidi,  and  can  hope 


268  HEIDI. 

that  she  will  care  for  me  in  my  old  age, 
and  stay  with  me  and  nurse  me.  That  is 
my  dearest  wish.  She  shall  be  recognized 
as  my  heiress,  and  Vvhen  we  leave  her  be- 
hind, you  and  I,  we  need  not  be  anxious 
about  her  comfort." 

The  uncle  pressed  the  doctor's  hand 
long  in  silence.  In  his  eyes  were  visible 
the  emotion  and  pure  joy  that  stirred  his 
heart  to  its  depths. 

In  the  mean  time,  Heidi  and  Peter  sat 
together  at  the  grandmother's  side,  and 
the  former  had  so  much  to  tell  and  the 
latter  so  much  to  hear  that  the\'  pressed 
closer  and  closer  against  the  happy  blind 
woman,  who  listened  intently  to  the  little 
girl's  account  ^i  liic  e^citi.is^  events  of  the 
past  summer,  when  Heidi's  visitors  pre- 
vented her  from  going  to  the  cottage. 


A  PARTING,   BUT  NOT   FOREVER.         269 

And  of  the  three  who  sat  thus  together, 
each  looked  happier  than  the  other,  be- 
cause of  being  all  once  more  together,  and 
because  of  all  the  delightful  things  that 
had  taken  place.  Perhaps  the  face  of 
Peter's  mother  was  the  happiest  of  all,  she 
had  just  now  for  the  first  time  clearly 
understood  from  Heidi  the  true  history  of 
her  son's  two-cent  pieces. 

At  last  the  grrandmother  said  :  "  Heidi, 
read  me  a  hymn  of  praise  !  It  seems  to 
me  that  I  ought  to  do  nothing  but  praise 
and  glorify  our  Lord  God  in  heaven,  for 
all  that  he  has  in  his  mercy  granted  us,  his 
poor  children." 

F.NT^    OF    VOT-    II. 


^ 


